Blood and Sand
by o Mischief Managed
Summary: Post-HoO. Ten months after the Giant War, Rachel's new prophecy warns of an end to the fragile peace the world has finally won. Nico di Angelo is sent to investigate, and never returns to camp. And to top it off, the whole of Camp Jupiter vanishes in a cloud of darkness. Suddenly graduation is the least of Annabeth's worries.
1. I Annabeth

**Hiya! I don't know what exactly possessed me to write this, but once the idea was in my head it sort of kept expanding itself until it was basically SCREAMING at me to write it. So here we are!**

**Okay, this takes place post-HoO, assuming Gaea and the Giants were defeated and everybody lived happily ever after (which I'm sure won't actually happen, but I'm just gonna keep living in my dream-world for now, okay? Okay). ****Like the summary says, this takes place ten months after HoO.**

_*****10/15/2013 IMPORTANT UPDATE***: After reading House of Hades, I'm now forced to call this a semi-AU and ask you to please read this as though none of the events in HoH happened. I planned/outlined this before HoH came out, and a lot of the events conflict with my timeline. Some minor details/revelations about the characters can still hold true, but the physical *events* did NOT happen, okay? Feel free to message me with any questions. Everything through Mark of Athena is still canon with this story, but this veers off after that. **_

**DISCLAIMER: I don't even own the computer I'm typing on (proooobably shouldn't be doing this at work, but eh, oh well), let alone anything of value. I make claim to nothing but my own imagination! *cue rainbows***

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**I  
****ANNABETH**

Annabeth liked to think of herself as brave.

She had run away from home when she was seven, and had subsequently lived on the streets fighting and evading one monster after another. She had completed multiple life-threatening quests for her summer camp, Camp Half-Blood, which often pitted her against beings who wanted nothing more than to tear her limb from limb. She had traversed the world, navigated the Labyrinth, helped stop two Olympian wars, and survived the darkest pit of the Underworld. She had fought gods, titans, giants, Cyclopes, hellhounds, a hydra, and an army of jumbo-sized, man-eating ants. She had even once held the weight of the entire sky on her shoulders. Even by demigod standards, Annabeth figured her repertoire of accomplishments was rather impressive.

So why did something as simple as delivering a valedictorian speech to an auditorium filled with four hundred graduates and their families frighten her more than facing down an army? Her mind told her that the answer was simple: She understood demigod life. Normal life? Not so much.

Sometimes Annabeth hated being so smart.

Well… Okay, that was a lie. But still, there were times she wondered what it would be like to be one of her classmates at Hightower Prep. She couldn't even imagine a life where things like speeches, grades, graduation, and college were her most important worries and fears. She shot a glance over her shoulder and allowed her eyes to scan the lines of students beside and behind her, all girls her age who had no more pressing issues in their lives than enjoying the coming summer and packing for college in the fall. _What a boring life_, Annabeth couldn't help but think with mild amusement.

"And now to give a few words, I'm delighted to introduce Hightower Preparatory Academy's 2011 graduating class valedictorian, Annabeth Chase."

Annabeth jumped in surprised at the sound of her name and the following chorus of applause, berating herself for allowing her attention to slip. Cursed demigod ADHD. She straightened her shoulders and rose to her feet, meeting the eyes of the speaker, Madam Beaufonte (Annabeth wasn't sure what qualified her to be called "Madam," as there wasn't much to set her apart from the other instructors; she assumed it was just a matter of personal preference), as the older woman stepped down from the podium and reached out a hand. Annabeth approached her and offered a polite handshake, hoping the headmistress wouldn't notice how clammy her hands were, before climbing up to the podium and sweeping her gaze across the audience before her.

_Oh, gods,_ she thought frantically, trying to keep her breathing steady and her hands from shaking. _I can do this. It's just a short talk. In front of hundreds of people. Most of them don't even know me. This will be easy._

Her mind flashed back to the conversation she'd had with Percy the previous night, when she'd voiced her concerns. "I don't know what you're worried about," he'd argued off-handedly. "You've faced way worse stuff than this. Besides, graduation's easy. Trust me, you're gonna do great."

Easy for him to say, Annabeth thought with a suppressed huff of nervous annoyance. He had graduated the previous week, but _he_ of course hadn't been valedictorian. _He_ hadn't been forced to give a speech in front of his entire school. And _he_ wouldn't be a complete disgrace to his godly parent's name if he screwed it up.

Her eyes fell on her father and stepmother in the fifth row back, the latter of whom appeared to be scolding her two young sons in a hushed voice and the former of whom was nodding at Annabeth with an encouraging smile. Annabeth swallowed hard and glanced at the seat to her father's left, which was occupied by her idiot of a boyfriend.

Percy was leaning back in his seat with his arms folded behind his head, a strangely amused expression on his face as he eyed Annabeth. He raised an eyebrow at her and the corner of his mouth twitched in a ghost of a smirk, and Annabeth could almost hear him saying, _Well, Wise Girl? You gonna say something or are you trying to communicate your speech telepathically?_

Annabeth felt a tiny twinge of anger at his expression, and instantly all the fear seemed to wash out of her. This wasn't a valedictorian speech at one of the toughest college prep boarding schools in the Upper Manhattan area. This was simply Annabeth as she always was, explaining something or another to her kelp-headed boyfriend so he wouldn't go off and get himself killed, which he seemed to like to try as often as possible. If she focused only on Percy and that annoying look on his face, she'd have no trouble.

Annabeth supposed she would have to thank him for that later.

After realizing she'd been standing there without speaking for almost an entire minute, Annabeth shook her hair over her shoulder and allowed some of her usual confidence to show in her smile. No one would be disgracing their godly parents today, not if she had anything to say about it.

-ψ-ψ-ψ-

After Annabeth's speech, the rest of the ceremony seemed to fly by faster than a charging herd of Party Ponies (who, by the way, had generously offered to throw Annabeth and Percy "the most tail-thrashing, hoof-beating, fist-bumping grad party your two legs have ever seen!" It took them six refusals, two threats, and one distress call to Chiron before the centaurs finally gave up and left them alone), and in no time Annabeth had received her diploma and rejoined her family in the lobby as the auditorium steadily emptied of its occupants.

"Congratulations, sweetie!" her stepmother sang through a beaming smile, wrapping both arms around Annabeth and squeezing her shoulders tightly.

Annabeth laughed and turned to her father, who added, "We're so proud of you, Annabeth. And…" He shot a glance over his shoulder before leaning in and finishing in an undertone, "I know your mother is, too."

Annabeth smiled gratefully. "Thanks, Dad." Percy stepped up beside Annabeth's father and she met his eyes briefly. She barely had time to appreciate the fact that he had actually dressed up for the occasion (his hair was as wild and windblown as ever, but by now Annabeth had begun to suspect that no matter how much he combed or styled it, his hair seemed to have a mind of its own and much preferred the side-swept, beach look) before her stepbrothers chose that moment to launch themselves at her simultaneously, not quite understanding what the celebration was about but wanting to show their sister some appreciation just like their parents. Annabeth swallowed a giggle as she handed her diploma to her stepmother and bent down to plant a kiss on each of their heads, thanking them for their enthusiasm.

"Alright, alright," Percy said impatiently, but when Annabeth looked up she saw the familiar grin on his face. "Boyfriend's turn yet?" He held is arms out and took a step forward, and Annabeth placed one hand on her hip and used the other to punch him in the shoulder. Hard.

"Ow!" he complained, shrinking back from her and rubbing the bruise that she hoped was forming beneath his shirt and blazer. "What was that for?"

Annabeth glared at him, though she was sure he could see right through it. "That was for being a jerk to get me over my nervousness," she explained sharply, allowing a hint of humor to color her voice. Percy understood immediately and he relaxed, grin back in place. Annabeth shook her head with a sigh, unable to keep from smiling back. "And so is this," she added. Then she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing a short, grateful kiss to his lips.

"Well, should we get going?" her father suggested, glancing at the watch on his wrist. "Our reservations are at seven, and we don't want to be late. Plus, I think the boys are getting a bit anxious to eat." Annabeth chuckled as they made their way outside among the crowd. She opened her mouth to respond, but the words died on her tongue when her eyes took in the frenzied commotion going on toward the right side of the front parking lot.

"What's going on?" she wondered aloud, frowning as she observed the thick congestion of people crowded in a small space not far from where she and her family stood, most of whom were shouting, laughing, pointing, and causing a general disturbance. She couldn't tell what they were looking at, but whatever it was, it sure had their attention.

Suddenly Percy stiffened beside her. "Aw, man," he mumbled ruefully, disappointment in his voice. "Looks like we're gonna have to miss dinner. And I was really looking forward to that all-you-can-eat pasta buffet."

"What's wrong?" Annabeth asked, craning her neck to see as more people joined the growing cluster of onlookers. "Can you see what's happening?"

"No," Percy answered with a heavy sigh, "but I told him we're over here, so any second now…"

Before Annabeth could ask who 'him' was, an audible gasp went through the crowd and a great, black pegasus suddenly leapt into the sky above their heads. It whirled around wildly before finally seeming to spot what it was looking for. It let out a loud whinny and darted toward the ground once more, coming to a rather ungraceful stop in front of Percy and Annabeth.

"Right," Annabeth said shortly, her throat tightening as understanding spread through her. "Blackjack."

"Puppy!" Bobby cried with a grin, spreading his arms and pushing his brother aside to step toward the 'puppy'. Thankfully, Annabeth's father leaned down and barred his way before he got within range of the pegasus' hooves, which were stomping the concrete in excitement. The surrounding onlookers were still laughing and pointing toward Blackjack, and Annabeth found herself wondering what exactly they were seeing. After all, the Mist had once turned Percy's giant hellhound Mrs. O'Leary into an adorable little poodle. For all Annabeth knew, Blackjack could be a playful Scottish terrier.

"Is this dog yours, Annabeth?" her stepmother asked, uncertainty in her voice as she placed her hands on her sons' shoulders. The Mist may have clouded her eyes, but clearly she could tell something wasn't right.

"Actually, dear, it isn't a dog," Annabeth's father replied. "It's a pegasus." Before his wife could puzzle this out, he turned to his daughter and asked seriously, "Time for you to go?"

Blackjack grunted impatiently and Percy nodded to the pegasus, eyebrows knitted together. "He says Chiron sent him to get us—and it's important. Something about a prophecy, but he can't remember the rest of the message." He turned and glared at the horse as he finished. Blackjack neighed loudly and shook his mane, and Percy rolled his eyes. "'Empty stomach', yeah right," he muttered. "Sorry, man, but if I've gotta miss dinner, so do you." Blackjack let out a whine, nudging Percy on the arm. Percy shook him off and grumbled, "You can't take a _pegasus_ through the drive-through!"

Having understood the gist of the situation, Annabeth turned back to her family. "I'm sorry," she said sincerely, removing her graduate cap, cords, and gown and handing them to her father. "Rain check on that dinner, okay?"

"No worries," her father replied with a warm smile as he wrapped her in a one-armed hug. "We understand the life of a demigod is never dull, and all that. Message us when you have some free-time, alright?"

"Promise," Annabeth said with a nod.

"Be careful, you two," her stepmother said seriously, before stepping forward and kissing them both on the forehead (to which Percy blinked in mild surprise but offered a smile all the same). They climbed onto Blackjack's back and the pegasus spun in a circle, ready to take off. Annabeth silently wished she'd chosen to wear something a bit less formal, as the floor-length gown she was dressed in forced her to sit sideways and cling tightly to Percy to keep from sliding off her seat.

"Take care of my daughter, Percy," Annabeth's father called as they stepped back.

"Aye-aye, sir," Percy replied with a convincing salute, reaching around Annabeth to curl his other hand into Blackjack's mane. "Though to be fair, she doesn't always make it easy." Annabeth huffed and drove her elbow into his gut, causing him to grimace and hunch forward with a light laugh.

Her father smiled ruefully, and Annabeth could have sworn she saw a brief flash of sadness in his eyes when he said, "She's her mother's daughter, alright."

Annabeth smiled. "'Bye, guys," she said as brightly as she could manage, waving to her family as Percy gripped Blackjack's mane and informed the pegasus that they were ready to go.

As Blackjack spread his dark wings and rose into the sky, heading for Camp Half-Blood, Annabeth tightened her grip on Percy's waist and tried to ignore the lump forming in her throat at the thought of Chiron's urgent summons.

* * *

**So that didn't really introduce the plot at all, but it'll show up in the next chapter, no worries. Just wait 'til this really gets rolling - it's gonna be nuts, haha.**

**Anyway, I won't start hounding for reviews yet, as this is just kind of a small taster. This sucker's gonna be LONG, so hopefully I can get a rhythm going and update sometime in the next few days.**

**See ya soon!**

**-oMM**


	2. II Annabeth

**Hi again! Time for some plot-introduction!**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**II  
****ANNABETH**

The ride to camp clocked in at under ten minutes, which was still plenty of time for Annabeth's mind to devise an impressive enough list of reasons (each more horrible than the last and only about a third of them anywhere near likely) for their suddenly being called in. She didn't voice any of her suspicions, however, in order to avoid both sounding like a paranoid worrywart and potentially being right. She wasn't sure which would have been worse.

When Blackjack landed just inside the camp's borders, Annabeth slid from his back immediately, cringing as the pointed heels of her shoes stuck in the soft dirt. She took a deep breath of the fresh, evening air and turned to Percy as he bid the pegasus goodbye, trying to keep the worry from showing on her face. "What do you think the problem is?" she asked, attempting a conversational tone as she removed her shoes and stood barefoot in the grass.

"I'm sure it's nothing," Percy said with a shrug, though Annabeth could hear the guarded unease in his voice. "They probably just couldn't wait to have us back. We're basically the camp celebrities, after all."

Annabeth chuckled at the joke attempt and opened her mouth to reply when another voice called, "There you guys are! I was starting to think you'd stopped for take-out."

"If it had been up to Blackjack, we would have," Percy answered with a grin as Piper McLean jogged up to them, mismatched braids swinging around her face.

Annabeth smiled brightly. "I thought you were on vacation with your dad," she pointed out as Piper hugged her and Percy each in turn.

"I was," Piper replied, crossing her arms over her bright orange t-shirt. Annabeth noticed her tan skin looked even darker than usual, as though she'd recently spent a great deal of time under the sun. "We got back this afternoon to a message from Leo saying to hurry back to camp. He wouldn't tell me what was going on until I got here." She twisted the end of a braid in her finger, her eyebrows creasing together into a frown that Annabeth found herself unconsciously returning. "You guys had better come with me," Piper said, her voice sounding vaguely strained. Her eyes darted uneasily toward Percy, then dropped to the ground so fast Annabeth wondered if she had imagined it. He didn't seem to notice. "Everyone's gathered in the Big House. Chiron's gonna want to talk to you."

-ψ-ψ-ψ-

By '_everyone_', Piper had evidently meant '_all the head counselors who happened to be at camp, and Chiron'_, as the Big House rec room wasn't quite as populated as Annabeth had expected.

Chiron stood at the head of the table in all his four-legged glory, wearing a red t-shirt with blue lettering that said _'HORSE AROUND'_. His head was bent low toward the table and Rachel Elizabeth Dare, Annabeth's rival-turned-friend and their resident host for the Oracle of Delphi, was whispering something in his ear. Clarisse La Rue sat beside Rachel, her feet on the next chair over and a deep frown on her face. Leo Valdez was seated to Chiron's left and was in the middle of a hushed conversation with Travis Stoll, which Annabeth found worrisome enough regardless of whatever threat was looming over their heads. The rest of the camp's head counselors must not have returned to camp just yet, as the remaining chairs were decidedly empty. As Camp Half-Blood war councils went, this one seemed to be lacking in the impressiveness department. The table was even void of the usual array of snacks and hors d'oeuvres.

When Piper reentered with Annabeth and Percy in tow, everyone looked up at the disturbance. "Ah, Percy, Annabeth," Chiron greeted them, though Annabeth noticed he sounded distracted. "Welcome back. I hope you've been well since the winter holidays?"

"Gee, if I'd known this was a formal affair, I'd have dug out my good shirt," Leo said, looking over Annabeth and Percy's attire through his usual impish smirk. Annabeth rolled her eyes, though she couldn't suppress a smile. Whatever the situation, it was good to see all her friends again.

Percy raised his eyebrows as they strode into the room. "You own a good shirt?" he asked skeptically.

Leo shrugged, leaning his chair back to bump fists with Percy. "Fair point," he admitted with a grin. "But seriously. What's with the fancy clothes? We interrupt something important?"

"Only my graduation dinner," Annabeth explained sarcastically as she dropped into the seat beside Travis and smoothed the fabric of her dress. "Which I'm still not happy about." She jerked a thumb over her shoulder and added, "Do you know how hard it is to get him into a jacket and tie?"

Percy, who had already removed said jacket and was busy rolling up his shirt sleeves, scowled at Annabeth. "Don't even play that. When girls dress up, they get to stay comfortable and leave some skin showing. For guys, it's stifling. You try wearing this for a three-hour ceremony and we'll see how quickly you change your tune."

"If the prince and princess are done discussing fashion," Clarisse interrupted from across the ping-pong table, "I think we're here to talk about the prophecy?"

A hushed tension fell over the room as everyone was reminded of the reason for the meeting. Percy sat down slowly in the seat beside Annabeth and Piper moved to stand behind Leo as Chiron folded his hands and let out a beleaguered sigh. "Yes," he said solemnly. "Rachel?"

"I'm sorry for dragging you two out here," Rachel said to Percy and Annabeth, obvious reluctance in her voice. She was dressed in jogging clothes with her curly red hair pulled back in a messy ponytail, as though she'd taken a wrong turn on her morning run and ended up in the Big House rec room. "I was given a prophecy earlier this afternoon, and Chiron and I both thought it'd be best if you guys heard it straightaway. Also, well…" she glanced sideways at Chiron with a troubled expression, "there's some news you need to know about."

"What kind of prophecy?" Annabeth asked with a frown. "It isn't another Great Prophecy, is it?"

"That's just the problem," Chiron admitted with another sigh. "We don't know. Perhaps you'll understand once you've heard it." He nodded to Rachel, who met the eyes of everyone around the table and cleared her throat dramatically before reciting,

"_Darkness falls from blood and sand  
__A war of shadows to rend the land  
__Son of the Storm-bringer, doomed to fail  
__And sleep entombed in fiery jail  
__Hero's sacrifice buries the night  
__And crimson and gold together bring light._"

For some reason, the lights seemed to dim and flicker just a bit as she finished, before returning to their usual brightness. Annabeth assumed it was just the old wiring, but she had to admit it made Rachel's words seem even more ominous.

Everyone was silent for a long minute, and Annabeth wasn't sure which line of the prophecy she wanted to address first. She was saved the trouble when Leo frowned and said, "Well, it's a prophecy, alright. Every line more annoying and confusing than the last. Anybody want to take a stab at it?"

"'A war of shadows'… That doesn't sound good," Piper muttered, tugging on the beaded cord hanging from her neck.

Clarisse removed her feet from the chair beside her, sitting up straight. "And 'rend the land' sounds even worse. I know as a daughter of Ares I'm supposed to be into war, but three in as many years? This is just getting ridiculous." She crossed her arms over her chest and her frown deepened.

"What does a 'war of shadows' even mean?" Percy wondered aloud. "Like a war of monsters? Or of like… _literal_ shadows?"

"Prophecies always have double meanings," Annabeth pointed out. "Usually we don't know what they mean until after they come true. I wonder if it's even worth speculating about…"

"What about the next line, 'son of the Storm-bringer'," Travis spoke up. "Isn't Storm-bringer a name for Poseidon?"

"Indeed," Chiron said. "Storm-bringer is one of the Sea God's titles. 'Son of the Storm-bringer, doomed to fail'… I believe it is safe to assume that line is referring to a son of Poseidon."

Annabeth felt her stomach twist into knots as all eyes turned to Percy, who blinked in surprise. He opened his mouth to speak, but evidently couldn't decide what to say, and Annabeth suddenly understood the strange look Piper had given him when she'd met them on the hill. She must have already heard the prophecy.

"'Son of the Storm-bringer, doomed to fail, and sleep entombed in fiery jail," Rachel repeated, looking thoughtful. "It's possible those are one complete thought."

"Oh, great," Percy grumbled. "I've always wanted to sleep in fire."

"It might not be _literal_ fire," Annabeth argued again, feeling as though she were grasping at straws. "Maybe it's just… really hot. Like somewhere in the south." Percy gave her a funny look that clearly said, _Seriously?_

"Yeah, but 'entombed'?" Travis said skeptically. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't a tomb meant for dead people?" Annabeth shot him her best _'not helping!'_ glare, and he clamped his mouth shut.

"Plus there's the sacrifice line," Piper went on. "What was it? 'Hero's sacrifice buries the night'… So does that mean two people are supposed to die?"

Annabeth saw Percy's jaw tighten out of the corner of her eye, and she wanted to smack everyone for all this talk of fire and death. Especially when Clarisse replied with, "Not necessarily. Maybe all those lines are referring to Jackson. If that's the case, I say we cut our losses. Could be a lot worse." Percy tensed like he wanted to rise from the table, but Annabeth reached over and gripped his hand tightly. A fight was the last thing they needed. Thankfully his glare fell to the table and he relaxed, squeezing Annabeth's hand in understanding.

"We won't be jumping to any conclusions until we understand more of the situation at hand," Chiron cut in firmly, pressing his hands flat against the table. "As Annabeth has pointed out, prophecies often have double meanings. We could be misinterpreting the entire thing, for all we know. I'm sure everything will become clear in time, but one thing that I believe is certain enough is the mention of war. This isn't the first we've heard of a disturbance to the peace."

This caught Annabeth by surprise. She certainly hadn't heard any news of someone stirring up trouble. Had Chiron been hiding something from them? Perhaps it was something only the year-round campers were currently privy to.

This thought was confirmed when Leo leaned forward and said, "You think this prophecy has something to do with what Nico was doing?"

Chiron nodded grimly. "I think it likely, yes."

Leo frowned, looking thoughtful, which was uncommon for him and made Annabeth uneasy. "That can't be good…" he muttered absently.

"Why?" Percy asked, his gaze shifting back and forth between Leo and Chiron. "What do you mean, 'what Nico was doing'?"

Chiron looked troubled as he answered, "Lord Hades has had reports of strange disturbances in the Underworld over the past few months. Lately, they've been getting more… prominent. Certain monsters have been… disappearing, for lack of a better word, though 'relocating' may perhaps explain it better. Additionally, and I know how this will sound—he says the shadows have been growing. Almost as though they're covering the Underworld in darkness."

"Darkness," Piper mused. "Like the prophecy."

"Yes," Chiron agreed solemnly. "Nico had been investigating these events under his father's orders."

"'Had been'," Annabeth repeated, not missing Chiron's use of the past tense. "As in, he isn't anymore. Shouldn't he be here to tell us what's going on?" Even before the question had left her mouth, Annabeth started to feel cold, like the answer wasn't something she would like to hear.

Chiron's pained expression only solidified this fear. "Well, that's the news Rachel mentioned earlier. You see…" The centaur breathed another tired sigh and closed his eyes for a long second, before finishing heavily, "Nico di Angelo has gone missing."

* * *

**Okay, so that wasn't much of a shock given it's part of the summary. But still, a good end to a chapter and I'm leaving off so THERE, haha.**

**Man, though, that prophecy literally took me like three days to write. I am SO RUBBISH at poetry, so the rhymes were tough, plus I wanted to keep the whole "prophecies have double meanings!" schtick, which was even _harder_. Hope it turned out okay, heh heh.**

**How 'bout a review to let me know you're with me? I love 'em, you know! Just as much as any writer :)**

**See ya soon!**

**-oMM**


	3. III Annabeth

**Wow, I apologize for the epic length of this chapter. I had a lot to cover before the POV switch in the next chapter, so this one kind of got shafted into being over 5,000 words long. Whoops, heh heh. I guess it's safe to say, though, that the chapters in this are probably gonna vary greatly in length from here on out.**

**Anyway, enjoy this nice long update!**

* * *

**III  
****ANNABETH**

"Missing?" Percy repeated after a heavy silence. "How can he be missing? What does that even mean?"

Annabeth felt strangely dizzy at Chiron's news of Nico's disappearance. Last summer, the son of Hades had been taken captive by Gaea's army and used as bait to lure out Annabeth and her friends. And as a result, he'd come uncomfortably close to losing his life. And now this? Percy often complained about having terrible luck, but Annabeth rather thought Nico di Angelo's luck was much worse.

"All we know is that Nico was asked to investigate a strange culmination of darkness somewhere in California that must have had something to do with what's been happening in the Underworld," Chiron explained, pinching his chin between his fingers and looking strangely exhausted, like he'd gone days without sleep. "And that he never returned to camp or to Lord Hades, or even reported in on what he found. This was five days ago, and no one has seen or heard from him since."

"Not to mention the fact that every Iris-message we try to send him just gets darkness and static," Leo added, leaning back heavily in his chair and waving his arms in a useless gesture. "It's like he's stuck in some low-end frequency that we can't pick up."

"You don't think… he's hurt, do you?" Annabeth asked, unable to keep her voice from wavering slightly.

Chiron's mouth tightened into a thin line. "Seeing as he has made no attempt to contact us, I'm afraid we have to assume he's being held somewhere against his will. However, I do believe that wherever Nico is, he is still alive. His captors must know that were he to die, Lord Hades would know immediately. And, pardoning the cliché, there would be hell to pay."

Leo snorted audibly, and when Annabeth glared at him, he suppressed a grin and mumbled, "Sorry."

"Whatever the case," Chiron continued as though nothing had happened, "it's likely that Nico's disappearance and this prophecy are related. After all, coincidences aren't things we come across very often, as I'm sure you'll all agree." He straightened his shoulders and stepped back from the table. "I think that's enough for tonight. We have more campers arriving tomorrow and by then I'm sure rumors will have spread. I'd like each of you to do what you can to keep your fellow campers calm and don't let anyone go jumping to conclusions about this so-called war."

As everyone rose and began filing out of the rec room, Annabeth hung back, trying to sort out the thoughts that were swimming around in her head. It was all so sudden, and even for a daughter of Athena so much at once was difficult to process. Percy seemed to notice her troubled expression and gave her a concerned frown, not moving from her side. Annabeth glanced over his shoulder at the retreating campers and called out, "Leo! Can you hang on a second?"

Leo halted in the doorway and spun around with a shrug. Piper stayed as well, which Annabeth didn't mind.

"You've been here for all of this, haven't you?" Annabeth asked the son of Hephaestus, climbing to her feet and crossing her arms in front of her.

Leo shook his head and gave her a rueful smile. "Always business with you, huh, Annabeth?" he teased, wagging a finger at her. "No 'Hey, Leo! Nice to see you! How've you been these last six months?' Yeesh, you go on a world-saving journey with someone, then you come back and suddenly you're just 'that kid with the fire who lives at camp and makes repairs'."

Despite the situation, Annabeth couldn't help but laugh. Leo always had a way of lightening anyone's mood, regardless of how dark things seemed. It was one of the qualities that made him such a valuable friend. "I'm sorry," she said honestly as she stepped forward and reached out her arms, wrapping Leo in a tight hug (She noticed off-handedly that they were the same height. Had he grown taller since the winter holidays?). His warm, smoky scent reminded her instantly of a summer bonfire and actually helped to clear her head. "It really _is_ good to see you again."

"Apology accepted," he reported with a grin when she let go of him. "And now we can talk business. What do you want to know?"

Annabeth breathed a deep, steadying sigh. "You guys said Nico disappeared five days ago. Why hasn't anyone been looking for him?"

"Wish we could, trust me," Leo replied, running a hand through his dark, curly hair. "But we got nothing. And I mean _nothing._ If we knew where to start or what we were up against, maybe things would be different. But right now, it's literally a shot in the dark. See, though – that's where you guys come in."

Startled, Annabeth blinked and exchanged glances with Percy. "What do you mean?" she asked.

Leo opened his mouth to respond but was interrupted when Chiron stuck his head through the doorway and said, "Percy, Annabeth. Would you mind meeting me in the living room? There's something I'd like to discuss."

As he disappeared again, Leo held his hands toward the now empty doorway as if to say, _Like I said._ "Looks like you'll see soon enough," he said. "Hey, when he lets you go, stop by Bunker Nine. I got something to show you." He flashed them a winning smile and gave a bow before turning and darting out of the room without another word.

Piper rolled her eyes. "If he spent any more time in that bunker, I swear he'd grow into the walls," she scoffed with a wry smile. "See you guys later." And with a friendly wave, she left Percy and Annabeth alone.

Chiron was waiting for them in the Big House living room. He had settled into his enchanted wheelchair, hiding the lower half of his body. With his slouched posture, human appearance, and tired expression, Annabeth realized with a pang that he somehow looked much older than she had ever seen him before.

"Chiron, are you alright?" Percy asked as they seated themselves on the sofa, telling Annabeth he must have noticed it too.

"What? Oh," Chiron muttered absently, blinking sleep out of his eyes. "Oh, yes, I'm alright. I'm just afraid I may be getting too old for all this. So many years of war and fear… I think it's starting to take a toll on me."

Annabeth swallowed the lump in her throat, feeling strangely guilty, even though part of her knew she wasn't at fault. "If there's anything we can do to help, you know we'd be more than happy."

Chiron smiled at them, and for a second he looked just like he had when she'd first arrived at camp all those years ago. "Thank you both. Actually, about that, I was hoping to ask your help in finding Nico. You two are likely his closest friends, after all, and if anyone has even the slightest chance of finding him, I would think it be you."

"Of course we'll help look for him," Percy said immediately, leaning forward and resting his arms on his knees. "Only problem is, we don't know where to look any more than you do. You said he was investigating something in California?"

"Yes," Chiron confirmed. "In that regard—"

"Incoming message," a female voice interrupted from across the room, causing Annabeth and Percy to flinch in surprise and Chiron to turn in his chair toward the small, decorative fountain located against the back window. An ethereal, colored glow was emanating from the fountain, the cool water swirling in lazy circles.

Chiron frowned and rolled his chair over to the fountain, reaching into a small, ceramic jar as he passed the end table and removing a single golden drachma, which he proceeded to deposit into the mist hanging above the water. Interested, Annabeth nudged Percy with her shoulder, and they both rose and strode over behind Chiron as the mist shimmered and shifted to reveal an image of a blond teen about their age who was frowning at something off to his left.

"Chiron, I'm glad you—" he started to say, but he broke off with a look of surprise as he turned to face them. "Percy, Annabeth! I didn't know you guys would be here."

Annabeth smiled at the grinning visage of Jason Grace. "Hey," she greeted him amiably. "We just got here, actually."

"Timing couldn't have been better," Jason went on. "We've got a bit of a… situation here."

"What's wrong?" Percy asked, sounding concerned.

"Nothing serious," Jason said hastily, before adding as an afterthought, "at least, we don't think so. Not yet, anyway."

Percy frowned and crossed his arms. "You're… not making any sense."

"Sorry," Jason admitted with a light chuckle, rubbing the back of his neck. "It's tough to explain. Be a lot easier to show you – which is why I'm glad to see you especially, Annabeth. I was actually calling to find out if you and Leo would be willing to take a trip out here and give me a hand."

"A good opportunity," Chiron mused, turning his chair to look at Percy and Annabeth. "Camp Jupiter is in California as well, after all." Jason looked vaguely confused, but Annabeth understood immediately. Jason was in California. Nico was last seen in California. Two reasons to visit one state was all the invitation she needed.

Annabeth nodded in agreement. "We'll talk to Leo," she promised. "Sure there isn't any more information you can give us?"

Jason glanced off to his left again, his eyebrows creasing in thought. "You're… really gonna have to see for yourselves," he replied.

"Are you trying to be mysterious, or do you just have no idea what's going on?" Percy scoffed, raising an eyebrow.

"I guess a little of both," Jason replied with a nervous laugh. "I'll see you guys soon, okay?" He didn't wait for an answer before the image thinned and disappeared.

"I suppose that's settled," Chiron said, folding his hands in his lap. "I wonder what he could be referring to…" Annabeth's eyes were still locked onto the fountain as she puzzled the same thought. What could have happened at Camp Jupiter that would have Jason so distracted? And why couldn't he explain any better? The scientist inside Annabeth was admittedly curious, and wanted nothing more than to get to the bottom of it.

"Anyway, as I was about to say before Jason's message," Chiron continued after a moment, "I think you should take along a satyr to act as a guide. They're experts at seeking out demigods, especially one as powerful as Nico. It may help you to find him. Ideally, I would suggest Gleeson Hedge, since he made such an effective chaperone on your trip last summer—"

"Aw, come on!" Percy complained, rolling his eyes. "A chaperone, really? I'm gonna be eighteen in two months – I'm practically an adult already."

Chiron raised an eyebrow and Annabeth suppressed a snort. Percy, an adult chaperone? Sure, when pigs flew.

On second thought, Annabeth had actually _seen_ a flying pig once. She would need a new euphemism for impossibility.

"Actually," Chiron went on, eyes sparking with amusement, "I was going to say that although Gleeson Hedge would be ideal, he is confined to the infirmary at the moment after an unfortunate accident during last week's chariot race."

Percy let out a bark of laughter. "Hedge driving a chariot?" he repeated skeptically. "That has 'bad idea' written all over it."

"Well, he didn't actually _drive_," the centaur said, tilting his head to the side with a frown. "He decided it would be more… _exciting_ to run the race on foot. Needless to say, it didn't go well. He was thrilled." Chiron shook his head in wonder and Annabeth let out a laugh in disbelief. Good old Coach Hedge. "Anyway," Chiron continued, "as Gleeson is presently, ah… indisposed, and truth be told you all _are_ relatively responsible yourselves, I had another satyr in mind – one I think whose company you won't be so quick to refuse. He should be here any second, actually…"

Annabeth had a feeling she knew which satyr Chiron meant, and her suspicions were confirmed when the front door opened not six seconds later as if on cue and in walked a tall, gangly figure with curly brown hair stuffed under a cap and a short-cut goatee. He wore the usual orange Camp Half-Blood t-shirt and a pair of baggy, faded jeans with at least eight pockets, all of which were probably stuffed with a various assortment of vegetables, bags of chips, and empty aluminum cans. When he glanced at the room's occupants, his eyes lit up in excitement.

"Grover!" Percy greeted his best friend with a wide grin. He met Grover halfway across the room and clasped his arm, pulling him into a hug. "Haven't seen you in ages, busy life of a Lord of the Wild and all that."

Grover gave a sheepish smile, rubbing at the back of his head. "Yeah, things have been kind of crazy," he admitted as Annabeth joined them and wrapped him in a friendly embrace. "But I came as soon as I heard the news. Helping you guys is way more important."

Percy grinned wider, but Annabeth noticed his smile falter a bit as his eyes rose to the top of Grover's head—which now rested about two inches above his own. "Have you gotten taller?" he asked uncertainly.

Grover beamed, as though excited someone had noticed. "Six-foot-two!" he said proudly. Percy made a tiny choking noise in his throat and Annabeth elbowed him in the ribs. "Most satyrs hit their growth spurts by the time they're thirty, but I guess I was just a late bloomer. Anyway, we're taking Leo's ship, right? I've always wanted to ride in that thing. See all of nature from above, you know? I bet it's fantastic." He glanced at the ceiling and shook his head, his eyes misty. Annabeth smiled inwardly at his enthusiasm. "So we should leave first thing tomorrow morning. I've gotta go check in with Juniper—I'll catch you guys later!" And with that, he turned and left the room.

Annabeth sighed shortly and turned to her boyfriend, who was staring after the satyr with a slightly horrified expression. _Boys,_ she couldn't help but think. Rolling her eyes, she said, "Don't worry, pint-size. _I'm_ still shorter than you."

Percy blinked and looked down at her, his usual carefree grin returning. He placed a hand on the top of her head and said, "And I love that about you."

Annabeth grabbed his hand from her head and started pulling him toward the door. "Come on, we should find Leo and tell him Jason's news." Over her shoulder, she added, "Thanks, Chiron. Let us know if you hear anything else."

Outside, the sun had almost set and a cool, evening chill was in the air. Annabeth suggested they visit their respective cabins for a change of clothes before trekking through the woods, seeing as she was still barefoot and the thought of gathering the hem of her dress around her thighs to avoid catching it on nearby branches wasn't something she relished. They passed a number of fellow campers on the way, all of whom called out greetings of some sort. Of course Percy has been joking when he'd called them the 'camp celebrities' earlier, but if Annabeth were to be completely honest, it was sort of true.

It wasn't as though it was only her and Percy who received elevated attention after the Giant War the previous summer. Leo and Piper had become something of legends as well, as had Jason, Frank, and Hazel at their own camp. The difference was that they hadn't survived a trip through Tartarus, while Nico, Percy, and Annabeth had. It wasn't something they spoke about, and to Annabeth's endless relief, people hardly ever asked for details. But the simple fact that they had fallen into the darkest pit of the Underworld and actually made it back out was enough to gain them instant fame among demigods. Everyone knew it – the three of them were _not_ people to mess with. And not only that, but if you were going on any sort of dangerous quest, they were the teammates you wanted.

Nico handled the infamy the same way he handled everything else – by not discussing it and acting as though nothing had changed. Annabeth tried to do the same, but she found it more difficult than it looked. All her life, she had wanted to be recognized and praised for something. But now that it happened everywhere she looked, she found she missed the old days when she was just another camper.

Things were so much simpler then.

Once she had changed out of her dress and into a camp t-shirt and pair of denim cut-off shorts, Annabeth stepped outside to find Percy waiting for her. He was leaning against the wall of her cabin wearing a dark blue t-shirt, his hands stuffed in the pockets of his worn, fitted jeans. He smiled at her, green eyes sparkling in the last rays of the setting sun, and held out his hand. "Ready to go?" he asked.

Annabeth returned the smile easily, taking his hand and lacing her fingers through his. "Yeah," was her simple answer.

As they strode toward the forest at a leisurely pace, Annabeth glanced sideways at Percy and noticed a troubled frown on his face. She gripped his hand tighter and said quietly, "You're worried about the prophecy, aren't you?"

His gaze shifted to meet hers and he gave her a weak half-smile. "There you go again. Sometimes I wonder if children of Athena are secretly mind-readers."

Annabeth pressed a finger to her lips. "Don't tell anyone," she teased.

He chuckled lightly, before the smile fell from his face. "Is it selfish to wish that for once a prophecy had absolutely nothing to do with me?" Percy said somewhat bitterly. "I mean, what is it with these Oracles and predicting my death?"

"It's not selfish," Annabeth replied solemnly, shaking her head. "And you're right—it's not fair. They really do seem to pick on you, don't they?"

Percy laughed hollowly. "Must be because I'm so frickin' awesome," he joked, though his voice was sadly devoid of humor.

Annabeth leaned her head back and glanced upward toward the darkening sky. The first few stars were just barely visible above, and she felt an uncontrollable warmth rise inside her as she realized how long it had been since she'd seen them. Stars weren't visible in the city, after all, given the abundance of light down below at night. They reminded her of her days of living at camp year-round, before the Titan War, before everything. Back when every day wasn't a struggle to survive and to live peacefully. Sure, demigod life was never what anyone would call easy. But still, Annabeth found herself wondering when exactly it had become so very _hard._

"What are you thinking about?" Percy's voice broke through Annabeth's mental shields and she returned to her senses. She glanced over at him, realizing that she had still been staring at the sky and that her neck had started to get sore.

"You ever realize how we never just get a normal summer?" she said finally.

Percy smiled ruefully. "Only every day of my life," he replied.

"Other demigods get to do normal things sometimes," Annabeth pointed out, thinking of some of the stories her friends at camp had told of family vacations and trips to the beach or the pool or weekends camping in the woods. "So why not us?"

Percy shrugged. "We're not other demigods," he said simply. "We're… I don't know, special."

"Yeah?" Annabeth muttered, raising her eyebrows. She gave a wry smile. "Well, being special sucks." Percy laughed, and Annabeth found her gaze drifting once more to the sky, where this time she could just make out the familiar array of stars through the trees. "You know, I was really looking forward to maybe doing some normal things this summer. Remember we were gonna watch the lunar eclipse on Wednesday night?"

"What lunar eclipse?" Percy asked, his eyebrows creasing in a frown. Annabeth glared at him and was just thinking of smacking him when he continued, "Not the one you've been talking about nonstop for the past two months, right? Because I didn't think it was that important to you, so I sort of made plans with someone else…"

And then Annabeth did smack him, but not as hard as she could have. He yelped in annoyance all the same, and she smirked. "Ha ha," she said sarcastically, making a face at her boyfriend, who only grinned in response. "I'm just saying that maybe I'm tired of every day being such a… an adventure. I kind of want to know what it's like to be a normal girl and do normal things."

Percy studied her for a long minute. "Well," he finally said, "then let's just make sure we find Nico and help Jason before Wednesday night. Then we can still be _normal_ kids and watch a _normal_ eclipse."

Annabeth raised her chin dramatically and tossed her hair over her shoulder. "Who said I wanted to be normal with _you?_" she asked playfully. "Maybe I made plans with someone else, too. You aren't the only one who—"

Annabeth fell silent as Percy pushed her gently against the nearest tree trunk and covered her mouth with his own, his hands dropping to circle her waist. A comforting warmth swept through her body like sea breeze, and she leaned into him, gripping the back of his neck and focusing on the tangy taste of saltwater on his lips and tongue. Kissing him was like drowning, but without the fear or the danger – only the rush and the cool release. She had tried to explain it to him once, but he had only laughed and told her she was thinking too much.

_Please,_ Annabeth had thought. _Like a daughter of Athena could ever think too much_.

Finally Percy pulled away and smiled at her, eyes shifting like a rapid current. "Still thinking of hanging out with someone else?"

Annabeth felt a smile tug at her lips, which still tingled with the taste of saltwater. "Come on, Seaweed Brain," she said, ignoring his question and instead pushing him off of her so she could step away from the tree. "It's getting late, and we promised to talk to Leo." She tried to ignore Percy's satisfied grin as he followed her through the forest.

When they reached Bunker Nine, the first thing they heard was the music. Even from outside it was surprisingly loud, and by the time they had entered the hangar where Leo liked to work they had both been forced to cover their ears to protect their eardrums from the deafening sound. Annabeth didn't recognize the song, and it took her almost a full minute to realize that not only was the singer screaming at the top of his lungs to an accompaniment of electric whines and a thumping bass, but also that it was in Spanish.

Leo was nowhere in sight, but to Annabeth's surprise, Piper was sitting on the edge of a worktable against the left wall. She was reading a travel magazine and bobbing her head lightly in time with the music. Strangely enough, she didn't seem bothered by its volume.

Percy shouted something into the air, but even from right beside him Annabeth couldn't make out his words. Instead she strode over to Piper and nudged the magazine with her elbow, getting the other girl's attention. Piper glanced up and smiled, her mouth forming words Annabeth couldn't hear. When she didn't respond, Piper looked confused for a moment, before her eyes widened in apparent understanding. She jumped down from the worktable and jogged across the room toward a set of long, metal shelves piled high with various bits of equipment and unfinished projects. She reached up and tinkered with the knobs on a large, silver box-shaped device, and in seconds the music lowered to a normal volume.

Ears ringing, Annabeth finally lowered her hands and gave Piper a grateful smile. She was about to ask how in the world the daughter of Aphrodite hadn't gone deaf when Piper reached up and pulled a set of earplugs from her ears, effectively answering the question ahead of time.

"Hey, guys!" Piper said brightly. "Sorry about the music. Leo says it helps him focus." She pointed to her temple and spun her finger in a circle in a gesture that clearly said she found the son of Hephaestus rather insane. Annabeth couldn't help but agree.

"Hey, who turned off the—Oh, it's you guys."

Annabeth glanced to her right to see Leo step through a wide set of double doors, wiping his hands on a greasy rag that must have been doing more harm than good. He was dressed in the same set of brown work pants and suspenders that he'd been in at the council meeting, though the sleeves of his grease-stained shirt were rolled up over his shoulders, showing off wiry muscles that Annabeth was sure hadn't been there last summer. With a pang she was reminded of the last full-time head counselor of the Hephaestus cabin, Charles Beckendorf, who spent all of his time working or building something or other and had had an impressive physique to show for it. She wondered briefly if Leo would ever get as beefy as Beckendorf, and dismissed the thought immediately. With his short, lanky frame and goofy personality, it was just too bizarre to picture.

"Chiron got an Iris-message from Jason," Percy said straight away, speaking slightly louder than usual and rubbing a finger in his ear with a pained expression. "He said something's up at Camp Jupiter. Wanted you and Annabeth to go check it out."

"Really?" Leo said with a frown, tossing the dirty rag over his shoulder so it landed atop a worktable. "What happened?"

"He wouldn't tell us," Annabeth explained. "He said it's something we need to see for ourselves. Chiron thinks it's a good idea, especially given the location. Nico was last seen somewhere in California. It'll give us a chance to look for him once we sort Jason out. Grover's coming along as a guide," she added as an afterthought. "So, you in? We could use transportation, after all."

Leo put on an expression of exaggerated hurt and placed a hand over his heart. "Is that all I am to you? 'Transportation'?"

Annabeth feigned thoughtfulness, then replied, "Pretty much. So can we count on you, or not?"

He grinned, placing his hands on his hips. "Always," he answered. "Besides, Festus has been dying to get back out in the air—it's been ages since we were on a quest. Which reminds me, I told you I had something to show you guys, right?" His talking speed seemed to gain velocity as an excited gleam shone in his dark eyes, almost like fire. "Wait here, I'll be right back." Without another word, he turned around and sprinted back through the double doors.

"You guys mind if I come with you?" Piper spoke up, striding toward Annabeth and Percy and folding her arms in front of her. "I haven't seen Jason in a while. I mean, Iris-messages and all… But it's not the same as meeting in person, you know?"

Annabeth smiled at her, having figured she would have wanted to join them. Unlike Percy and Annabeth, Piper and her boyfriend lived on opposite sides of the country. Between school, home life, and various camp politics, they didn't get to see each other nearly as often as either of them must have wanted. "Of course," she answered her friend. "The more the merrier."

"Why are you hanging out in here, anyway?" Percy asked Piper curiously.

"Well, where am I supposed to hang out, my cabin? _Please_," Piper scoffed, and Annabeth felt she understood. The rest of the Aphrodite kids were very… fashion-conscious, something Piper had never had much of an interest in. "I'd rather swim in motor oil."

"What she means is," Leo's voice cut in as he poked his head around the corner and showed a wide grin, "she just can't go a day without seeing my adorable face."

"Actually, you're right," Piper agreed, rolling her eyes as the corners of her mouth twitched into a small smile. "I need a good laugh every now and then."

Annabeth and Percy both laughed and Leo shrugged indifferently. "Okay, ready to see something awesome?" he said after a second. "Follow me." Annabeth exchanged a glance with Percy before they both strode toward the wide, open doorway.

Beyond the doorway was a second hangar almost as large as the last one, but nowhere near as furnished. The walls were still rough and earthy, as though they'd just recently been dug out, and crude shelving had been thrown up against the one to the far right. Cluttered worktables lined the walls in no particularly orderly fashion, and Annabeth had to fight to keep from kicking up dirt as she walked across the uneven floor. There were no other doors aside from the ones they'd just entered through.

But all of that disappeared when Annabeth laid eyes on the mechanical dais in the center of the room, and the great mound of bronze machinery that sat atop it. At first glance, it looked like a huge, unorganized pile of metal. But on close inspection, Annabeth realized that though it was rough and unfinished, she could easily make out a few distinctive shapes – two legs, two arms, and a long tail. Additionally, a pair of nearly-completed wings the size of subway cars were piled just beside the dais. "Leo," Annabeth breathed, eyes widening as she realized what the shape looked like. "Is that—?"

"You better believe it," Leo interrupted, a huge grin on his face. He leapt in front of the bronze mound and spread his arms impressively. "I've been rebuilding Festus's body. With the Archimedes sphere and the scrolls we found in that workroom, I was able to draw up a blueprint for a brand-new self-sustaining hydraulic power system that recycles its own steam as a water-powered hyper-cooling containment center. Once I get the new control disk installed, we won't ever have to worry about it overheating again." He beamed at them, clearly proud of this accomplishment. Percy and Piper had blank looks on their faces, and even Annabeth had difficulty following everything Leo was saying, but despite his technical jargon she knew impressive design and workmanship when she saw it.

"Leo, that's… this is _amazing_," she said, staring at the dragon's unfinished form with wide eyes. The praise only caused his grin to widen further.

"I know, right?" he agreed excitedly. "Man, I can't wait to get this finished and see what it's capable of."

"Are you gonna be okay leaving here for a while?" Annabeth asked with a frown, realizing how much of his life Leo had already devoted to the project. "I mean, I know this is important to you…"

"Are you kidding?" Leo scoffed. "Of course it's important. But not as important as my friends. If Jason needs my help, I'm there. Plus there's Nico to worry about. Don't worry, guys, I said I'm with you, and I'm with you." Annabeth gave him a grateful smile, adrenaline for their journey already beginning to rise even though they wouldn't be leaving until morning.

"Then I guess it's settled," Percy said, locking eyes with each one of them in turn. His gaze lingered on Annabeth the longest, and she found herself smiling unconsciously as he finished, "Come tomorrow, we hit the Golden State."

* * *

**Heh, this chapter was a lot of fun for some reason, and I don't even think that much actually _happened_... Whatever, guess I'm easy to please :)**

**Speaking of easy to please, you know what makes me smile? REVIEWS! That's what! So drop me one on your way out, and maybe I'll update faster!**

**Later, taters!**

**-oMM**


	4. IV Jason

**Hi again! Thanks to everybody who read/reviewed/followed/etc. the last chapter. This one's not quite as long, but we've reached our second POV character! Not to mention a bit more plot advancement. Still not all the way yet, but hey, it's only chapter 4. There's still lots to come :)**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**IV  
****JASON**

The black pillars were really starting to get on Jason's nerves.

Before they'd appeared, things had been going great. He, Hazel, and Frank had settled back into life at Camp Jupiter, and the legion had welcomed them back with open arms, even reinstating Jason's praetorship without question or a vote. In the past ten months, New Rome had been rebuilt almost to perfection, and Jason was surprised at how well everyone from the town and legion both had worked together to get it done. He hadn't realized how much he'd missed his home while he was away, and now that he was back it felt almost as though he'd never left.

The most substantial change was the camp's newfound alliance with Camp Half-Blood. During the Giant War, the Roman and Greek demigods had joined their forces in order to defeat Gaea's army, a feat that may not have been possible otherwise. It helped to foster a sense of camaraderie between the camps, and they'd parted on friendly terms with promise to hold some sort of meet-up event the following summer. In fact, Jason and Reyna had been busy with early plans for just that occasion when the first of the black pillars had appeared.

Jason had slept later than usual that day, as he'd been kept up the previous night working on the events schedule. The date wasn't set until early August, but Reyna had insisted that they ensure all plans were completed well in advance. Roman to the core, she prided herself in appearing impressive and making a good impression, despite Jason's insistence that their Greek relatives weren't exactly ones for plans and rigid schedules. Unfortunately for Jason's sleep schedule, there was really no arguing with Reyna where her reputation was concerned.

When finally Jason left his room in the barracks, he was bombarded with strange questions from a slew of legionnaires. "What is it?" "Where did it come from?" "Is this some kind of attack?" "How did they find us?" "Isn't this place supposed to be safe?" Eventually, he managed to calm some of them down enough to get an explanation, and when that made less sense than the commotion, he insisted they show him what in the world they were talking about.

It was one of the most baffling experiences of Jason's life. At the northern edge of New Rome, just east of the aqueduct, was a rectangular pillar made of a black, marble-like substance that Jason was absolutely certain hadn't been there the day before. It covered roughly six square feet of ground and stretched about five yards into the air. The surface was smooth and cool to the touch. According to the people standing nearby and gaping at the structure, it must have appeared sometime during the night, though no one knew exactly when.

Reyna was just as confused by the pillar as Jason was, though how she managed to keep her calm, stoic expression he never quite understood. She ran her hand along the black edges, checked the ground around its base, and had someone fetch her pegasus Scipio so as to inspect the topmost surface. She even tried chipping it with a butter knife (seeing as no real weapons were allowed inside New Rome), which had no effect whatsoever. Evidently, she couldn't find anything immediately threatening about it. It seemed for all the world just a simple, black pillar.

And that was exactly what made it so strange.

Word spread through New Rome and the rest of Camp Jupiter faster than wildfire. By noon, everyone had taken a trip to see the Fabulous Magic Pillar that had somehow dropped from the sky at the edge of their hidden city. They held a senate meeting to discuss what it could mean, but no one had even a likely answer, and no decision could be made on what to _do_ about it. They tried digging into the ground around the pillar to see how far it had been buried, but gave up after going almost twenty feet and finding no end. How the thing had come to be there, no one could even begin to guess.

And things only got stranger when the second pillar appeared at the south end of the city the following night. It was exactly the same in every respect, right down to the angle of its shadow as the sun waxed and waned. Even then, though, the structure was unremarkable. Nothing else out of the ordinary happened until the third pillar appeared that night, and the fourth the night after that. And each one following, every night for almost two weeks.

That was when Jason had decided to call in help, so he went to the two smartest people he knew – Leo Valdez and Annabeth Chase. If anyone had a chance of discovering the purpose of these bizarre black pillars, it was them. Reyna had been reluctant to reach outside the legion for assistance, but even she couldn't deny that they needed a fresh opinion. In fact, the only one who had been adamantly against the idea was Octavian, who had never quite warmed up to the idea of keeping the Greeks as allies. After the war, however, his previous sympathizers no longer agreed with his old-fashioned ideals and gave them up in favor of peace, and by now he was hard-pressed to find anyone who'd take his side. He spent most of his time in his temple or walking the streets of New Rome and grumbling under his breath, but he was never completely silent. He tried as he always did to convince Reyna that the help of the Greeks was the last thing they needed, but thankfully Reyna had sided with her fellow praetor and given him the go-ahead to contact his friends at Camp Half-Blood.

And speaking of his friends at Camp Half-Blood, Jason hoped they'd arrive soon. Not only because it had been a while since he'd seen them and getting together for a while would be great (especially in the case of Piper, who Jason was sure would be accompanying them. If he knew his girlfriend at all—which he liked to think he did—she would jump at the chance to visit Camp Jupiter and would no doubt be along for the ride. Just the thought brought a smile to his face and made his heart skip a few beats in excitement), but also because he really needed to get to the bottom of what was happening—and fast. He wasn't sure how much longer he could take the headache.

The legionnaires and people of New Rome had taken to the pillars with mixed reactions. At first, they brought nothing but confusion and fear. But as the days passed and they appeared less and less dangerous, many people started to simply accept them, like they were nothing but a new series of decorative statues littering the camp. A few of the kids had even given them names like Black Beauty, The Punisher, and Old Benjamin.

Still, though, for every person that overlooked the pillars, one more insisted on their danger. A lot of people refused to leave their homes until Jason and Reyna did something about this new menace to society. Then there were the activists who would go around preaching that the city should rise up and take back their land, or some such nonsense. And one man had even managed to convince a few people that the pillars were actually homing beacons that were sending signals to an alien spaceship, and that if they didn't pack up and move right away, they all faced abduction and a series of painful medical experiments.

Jason didn't know how Reyna had handled these people while he was away last year, and when a legionnaire of the Third Cohort finally showed up around two in the afternoon to tell him the _Argo II _had just touched down in the Field of Mars, he tried not to look too relieved.

On his way out of the Principia, Jason ducked his head around the corner into Reyna's office to find her seated at her desk, frowning down at a sheet of paper. He knocked twice on the doorway and she looked up at him, her eyes stormy and tired. "They're here," he said simply, not feeling any additional explanation was necessary. "I'm gonna meet them at the ship and show them one of the pillars. You want to come?"

Reyna let out a heavy sigh and rose to her feet, cracking her neck. "I guess it would be best," she answered, reaching for her dagger and replacing it in the sheath hooked to her belt. She was dressed in her usual array of full Roman armor, but decided to forego her praetor's cape, which Jason thought sensible given the early summer heat. "I'd like to get to the bottom of this just as much as you would. I hope your friends can provide some insight." There was no resentment in her use of the word 'friends', as there might have once been. Despite her Roman nature, Reyna had accepted the friendship of the Greeks along with the rest of her camp, though she didn't always agree with the way they did things. Jason forced back a smile at the thought, not wanting to put her on the spot.

"You and me both," he said wryly as together they left the legion headquarters. "Guess we'll find out."

By the time Jason and Reyna reached the Praetorian Gate, they could see the giant Greek warship resting not far to their left. A small group of people dressed in mixed attire – probably Greeks and Romans alike – was gathered on the ground before the hull, and all of them turned as the two praetors approached.

"Ahoy, there!" Leo called, grinning as broadly as he ever did and waving his arms in a wide circle. "We come in peace, earthlings. Heard there's a crisis to avert."

Jason opened his mouth to respond when Piper suddenly stepped through the crowd, not surprising him in the slightest. He barely saw the huge smile on her face as she threw her arms around him, wrapping him in a tight hug that he didn't hesitate to return.

"I missed you," she said, pulling back just enough to press a quick kiss against his lips.

"Missed you too," Jason replied, smiling at her as they released each other. He glanced over her shoulder and grinned as his eyes swept across the small envoy from Camp Half-Blood, which aside from Piper included Annabeth, Percy, Leo, and Grover the satyr (whom Jason had only met once before at Percy's seventeenth birthday party, but had gotten along with quite well. He knew Grover had a long, somewhat historic friendship with the son of Poseidon and was glad to see them together again). They all exchanged greetings and a few laughs before Annabeth brought up Jason's message from the previous night.

"So we're here," she said matter-of-factly, shrugging her shoulders. "What did you want to show us?"

Jason glanced at Reyna, who said, "You'd better come with us."

The few Romans who had gathered to welcome the visitors finally dispersed, and together the two praetors led their friends to the nearest pillar, which was erected just north of the Via Praetoria and outside the Pomerian Line. "Say hello to Old Benjamin," Jason introduced the pillar, spreading both arms toward it.

"What?" Grover asked, blinking in confusion.

Jason shook his head. "Never mind," he said. "Anyway, this is the situation I told you about." He explained everything he could remember about the appearance of the pillars, stressing that they had yet to prove dangerous but that that the people were starting to get anxious about their purpose. They must have come from somewhere, but they just couldn't seem to figure it out.

Leo stepped toward the pillar and craned his neck backward, looking up to the top. Annabeth tapped her chin with her finger and chewed the inside of her cheek, looking thoughtful. "How many are there?" she asked. "Have you counted them?"

"Thirteen," Reyna answered. "They always show up at night, and no matter how many guards we place outside the city, no one ever seems to notice that there's a new one until morning. _How_ someone's getting these things past us, I can't even begin to guess." Her expression was passive, but Jason could easily sense her frustration in her voice. There was nothing Reyna hated more than being unable to protect her people.

"No one's 'getting them in'," Leo pointed out, dropping to a crouch and studying the ground around the pillar. "Look at this. All that dirt piled around the base? If they were buried from above, the dirt would be slanting inward here instead of jutting out like this." He glanced up toward Reyna and said, "These things were pushed up from underground."

Reyna frowned. "How is that even possible?"

Leo shrugged, climbing to his feet. "Beats me," he answered, and Reyna rolled her eyes.

"What are they made of?" Annabeth asked, sounding interested as she stepped forward to inspect the structure more closely. "The surface is flawless, perfectly cut. It's too smooth to be stone and too translucent to be marble… I've never seen anything like this before."

With a frown, Leo placed his palm against the surface of the pillar. He cocked his head to the side, and suddenly tongues of flame burst into life around his hand, causing the black structure to glow in the reflected light. Jason could feel the heat from where he stood a few feet away, and he noticed Reyna take a step backward unconsciously. When the flames faded and Leo removed his hand, a strange orange light glowed dimly on the black surface, holding a few seconds before fading.

"What did you do?" Annabeth asked, staring at the spot as the light disappeared. Leo glanced at her and jerked his head toward the pillar. Annabeth reached out a hand and tentatively touched the surface, jerking her fingers away almost immediately. Jason almost asked what had happened when she reached forward again and this time set her palm against the pillar, her eyebrows creasing into a deeper frown.

"It's warm," she said. "Like it absorbed the heat." Moving her hand across the surface, she added, "And not just absorbed it, but redistributed it, too. Almost like… it was made to conduct heat."

"It's obsidian," Leo said, squinting at the pillar and sounding as though he was surprised by what he was saying.

Annabeth's eyebrows shot up. "Volcanic glass?" she said. "But how? Obsidian only forms around volcanoes and geysers—places where rock heats up and cools rapidly. It can't have formed here."

"I know," Leo agreed. "And like you said, the shape is way too perfect. I don't think it was cut like this, and there's no way it formed naturally. It's almost like someone just sort of… willed it to be there, and… there it was." He scratched his head, staring at the pillar with a bewildered expression.

"So… are they dangerous?" Jason asked, still not sure what to make of the discovery.

Leo shrugged again, which wasn't exactly helpful. "It's just a hunk of glass. It'd make a heck of a baseball bat, but other than that, I don't think it's waving around any serious threats."

"I can't even think of anything in legend that requires this much raw obsidian," Annabeth went on, stepping in a slow circle around the pillar. "If there is, it's older than anything I've ever heard. Have you looked at them from above?"

"The top is the same as every other surface," Reyna informed her, but Annabeth shook her head.

"No, I mean _all_ of them. From _way_ above. To see if they're arranged in some kind of pattern?"

Jason exchanged a glance with Reyna and knew she was thinking the same thing he was: _Why didn't we think of that?_

"No," Reyna admitted, "but it's a good idea. Come with me to the stables, we'll check it out." Annabeth nodded and stepped away from the pillar.

After a few steps, Annabeth stopped and turned around. "Percy," she addressed her boyfriend, who'd been watching the exchange without comment, "you should tell Jason about the prophecy. Also… I'm sure Hazel will want to hear about Nico."

"Good call," Percy replied seriously. "We'll meet you guys in the mess hall later." Annabeth nodded, and followed Reyna back toward the camp barracks.

By then, Jason's brain was buzzing with questions. So the pillars had come from underground, and were made of a strange volcanic glass that shouldn't exist in San Francisco. Someone had wanted them there, but whoever it was had left no clues as to what their purpose could be. There was no way they were made by human hands, nor could they have formed naturally. So how did they get there, who had created them, and what were they for? Suddenly they seemed a lot less harmless than they had before, and Jason couldn't help the nervous feeling that had taken root in the pit of his stomach.

It certainly didn't ease his anxiety to hear Annabeth mention a prophecy, or allude to the fact that something had happened to Hazel's half-brother, Nico. Just what had been going on in the world outside their camp?

"So…" Jason said slowly once the two girls had gone, "I guess we've got some things to talk about?"

"We should find Hazel," Percy suggested. "Frank, too. You guys are all gonna need to hear this."

* * *

**Gee, whatever could be going on here? They'll find out soon enough, heh heh.**

**Reviews are love, everybody! They make me smile, after all, and who doesn't love a happy writer? Happy writers write more!**

**Later days!**

**-oMM**


	5. V Jason

**Hi again! Thanks to all readers/reviewers from the last chapter - as always I totally appreciate your taking the time out for me. Makes me happy!**

**This chapter's pretty short and uneventful... Sorry about that. But like I said, they're gonna vary pretty substantially in size, so just go with me, okay? :)**

**Enjoy!**

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**V  
JASON**

The look on Hazel's face when Percy reported her brother's disappearance could have broken even Octavian's heart of stone. "Why do these things always have to happen to him?" she said miserably, dropping her face into her hands and choking on her own breath. Frank scooted closer to her and hung an arm around her shoulders, squeezing her arms with a sympathetic frown.

Jason had to admit he agreed. It seemed that wherever the son of Hades went, he always ended up running into more danger than anticipated. Even for a demigod, Nico di Angelo had a peculiar knack for getting himself into trouble.

"Don't worry, Hazel," Percy said firmly. "We're gonna find him. We have to."

"What was he looking for?" Jason asked.

"Well," Piper began, "we aren't completely sure. I don't think even _he_ was completely sure. But… well, we think it has something to do with a prophecy we heard yesterday." She exchanged glances with Percy, Leo, and Grover before shooting a glance over her shoulder toward the rest of the room. They'd chosen a quiet, unpopulated corner of the mess hall and gathered around a table, leaning close so as not to be overheard. The hall's other occupants were busy with their own conversations, but still none of them could be too careful. Finally Piper turned back to the others and recited a six-line verse that sent inexplicable chills down Jason's spine.

"_Another_ war?" he said in slight disbelief. Their luck couldn't be _that_ bad, could it?

"Maybe," Piper admitted with a half-shrug. "I really hate prophecies. They usually create so many more questions than they answer…"

"Especially when they talk about darkness and shadows," Leo added.

"Who's the 'Storm-bringer'?" Frank asked with a look of vague confusion.

"It's a name for Poseidon," Grover replied, narrowing his eyes at a small group of fauns who were attempting to coerce a bit of spare change from a table full of First Cohort legionnaires. As the old god Pan's personally appointed Lord of the Wild, Grover must not have appreciated seeing his Roman cousins acting that way.

Frank frowned in thought. "So, 'Son of the Storm-bringer'…" His gaze landed on Percy and his eyes widened. "It means you?"

"Not necessarily," Grover argued, returning his attention to the conversation. "It could be referring to Tyson, couldn't it? He's a son of Poseidon, too." It took Jason a second to remember that Tyson was a Cyclops, and Percy's half-brother.

"It could," Percy agreed with a short nod, "but I don't think it is. I don't know how to explain it, but it just sort of… _feels _like it's me." He glanced down uneasily and Jason felt a pang of sympathy for his friend.

"But… if it's the Sea God…" Frank said thoughtfully, cocking his head to the side and suddenly looking nervous.

Percy met his gaze and shook his head. "It says _son_ of the Storm-bringer, so I think you're in the clear."

"Oh. Oh, good," Frank said, looking visibly relieved. Then he seemed to realize what he'd said and a stricken look crossed his face. "I mean… Obviously it's not _good_, because you're still… Um…"

Percy cracked a smile as Frank stumbled over his words. "Hey, it's cool," he insisted, waving his hand. "I'm used to prophecies predicting horrible things about me. It's nothing new." He tried for a wry grin and an off-handed shrug, but he ended up looking tired. And Jason couldn't blame him. It can't be a good reflection on your life when predictions of your death or failure are a usual occurrence.

"Do you think this will happen soon?" Hazel asked somewhat timidly. "I mean, if Nico was looking into this darkness thing…"

"It's a shame these prophecies never come with a time stamp," Leo said, shaking his head. "Like perishable foods at a grocery store. 'Sell by June fifteenth. Imminent death by June twentieth.'"

"Our prophecy took a year to complete," Piper pointed out. "Maybe this one won't happen for a while, either."

"Unless our pillar infestation has something to do with the prophecy, too," Jason suggested, the thought just now hitting him. "If so, we might have less time than we think."

Percy leaned backward in his seat with a short sigh. "I guess all we can do is just take one problem at a time and hope everything works out. You know, wing it – like we usually do."

Leo cracked an appreciative grin. "My favorite strategy," he said.

"So what do we do now?" Hazel asked, trying to sound hopeful.

"Well, for starters, you guys need to see this."

All seven of them turned or looked up as Annabeth and Reyna strode toward them, the latter clutching a sheet of paper in her hand. Leo slid across the couch to give the girls room to sit down, and as they climbed in Annabeth continued, "Remember how I thought the pillars might be arranged in some sort of pattern? Well, look at this."

Reyna spread the sheet of paper out on the table in front of her and Jason realized that it was a map of Camp Jupiter. "See these black dots?" Reyna said, pointing to the map. "We marked down the locations of all of the pillars. I thought the placing was random, but from above, it doesn't look that way."

Jason leaned forward to inspect the map. Arranged around New Rome was a series of black spots, drawn in a sort of zigzagged formation. "What is it?" he asked.

Annabeth pulled a marker from behind her ear and pressed it to the map, drawing a line between two of the dots. She kept going until she'd connected all thirteen, leaving a space between the last two. "It's a seven-pointed star," she explained, indicating the shape the dots had made. "Running all around New Rome. The placement is incredible – every distance perfectly measured. How someone could have designed something like this without even seeing the city is beyond me."

Leo frowned at the map, leaning across Reyna to get a closer look. She tensed and glared at him, tilting herself backward a few inches, but he didn't seem to notice. "It's not complete," he pointed out, tapping the space between the two dots Annabeth hadn't connected with her marker. "There should be fourteen corners on a seven-pointed star." He glanced up at Annabeth, eyes sharp. "That means one more pillar."

Annabeth nodded. "Tonight," she said, sounding somewhat excited. "It has to be tonight. You guys said a pillar has shown up each night for the past two weeks. With one more, the formation will complete itself. If anything's going to happen, it'll be tonight."

"Someone should keep watch at the spot where the last pillar's supposed appear," Reyna said, still eyeing Leo with annoyance at his proximity to her. "I'll volunteer. I'd like to see how this is happening myself, actually."

"Count me in, too," Leo added, finally sitting up straight. He grinned at Reyna and said, "There's no way I'm missing this." Reyna glared at him in a way that made Jason fear for his friend's life, but he didn't volunteer to join them. He wanted to spend some time with Piper before she and the others had to leave, and signing himself up for a late-night pillar vigil didn't fall into those plans. He hoped Reyna wouldn't snap and run Leo through with her javelin, but Jason wasn't about to sacrifice his little time with his girlfriend for anything less than a nuclear explosion. Leo would just have to fend for himself.

"I'd like to do some research on seven-pointed stars," Annabeth mused, tapping her chin with a finger. "Maybe even ancient uses for obsidian. Do you guys have a library, or…?"

"There are a number of mythical history books in the Principia," Reyna replied. "Hazel can show you, she's been there many times."

"Thanks," Annabeth said with a smile. "How about we eat first, since we're all here? Then after dark we can split up and try to figure this out."

"Great idea," Percy agreed with a grin, slipping an arm around Annabeth. "I'm starving."

"You are not," she argued, shoving him lightly as Hazel turned and waved toward one of the _aurae_ in charge of serving. In no time, their table was filled with a wide assortment of food and drinks, and all nine of them were digging in.

Once they'd finished, Grover was the first to climb up from the sofa. "I think I'm gonna have a talk with those fauns," he said, frowning across the mess hall at the group from before, which had moved on to chasing the _aurae_ between the tables and causing a general disturbance. "If they're willing, I'm sure I can find them a better job than whatever they're doing here."

"Ready to go, Annabeth?" Hazel asked, wiping her hands on a napkin.

"Yeah," Annabeth answered. She pushed her plate toward the center of the table and glanced at Percy. "You want to come, or do you have other plans?"

"Actually, I was hoping to drop in on the Fifth Cohort," he replied. "Haven't seen 'em in a while, you know? Frank, you busy?"

Frank looked up, seeming almost surprised at being addressed. "No," he answered. "I'll come with you."

Jason turned toward Piper, who had just finished her glass of water and replaced it on the table. "You want to take a walk down to the city?" he asked her. "It's getting dark, but the weather's pretty nice. No reason to stay indoors."

Piper smiled, multi-colored eyes sparkling. "I'd love to."

"And that leaves us to go pillar-hunting," Leo said with a grin, glancing at Reyna.

Reyna sat back in her seat, looking thoughtful. "Hopefully this time we can get some answers. I want to know who's threatening my camp."

"Don't worry," Annabeth promised as they all rose to their feet. "With all of us working together, we'll have this figured out in no time."

* * *

**Sounds like something big's gonna happen soon, doesn't it? Guess we'll have to wait and find out! Drop me a review on your way out!**

**Later days!**

**-oMM**


	6. VI Jason

**Hi, gang! Know what I realized over the last few days? I'm rubbish at working on fanfiction on weekends. I don't know what it is, but when I'm at home I'm just always busy with other things. I actually get most of my writing done at work, which shouldn't happen, but it does. Oh, well. So that's why this one took a bit longer than usual.**

**Thanks to everybody who read/reviewed the last update. Enjoy!**

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**VI  
JASON**

"Have I ever told you how much I love this city?" Piper asked with a relaxed sigh, leaning forward onto the marble railing and looking out over New Rome laid out below the garden terrace. "And not just the city itself, but what it represents. You guys that live here, you're so… united. So protected. This is what life should be like for us, you know? Safe. Normal. Just… surrounded by friends and people you care about, not having to worry about wars or monsters or danger." Her smile turned sad as her voice got quieter, and Jason's brow creased in concern. He knew what she meant, having lived outside Camp Jupiter for a while. It made him realize how removed they really were from the rest of the world, and how dangerous things were outside their little bubble.

Jason stepped toward Piper and wrapped his arms around her from behind, resting his chin on her shoulder and following her gaze out over the city. Her hands moved almost unconsciously to rest on his arms, and his skin felt hot where her fingers touched it. It felt good to have her so close after not having seen her in person in almost six months, and Jason was content to stay right where he was for as long as possible.

"Coming here always makes me forget about everything going on outside," Piper continued, some strength and warmth returning to her voice. "Even for just a little while. It's why I love visiting so much."

"Jeez," Jason muttered with a small chuckle. "And here I thought you came to see me."

Piper laughed. "Well," she said wryly, twisting around in his arms and placing her hands against the front of his shirt, "_mostly_ for the city, but maybe a little bit for you." With a light laugh, Jason leaned down and kissed her gently, smiling against her mouth when her hands slid up and clasped together behind his neck. She leaned backward on the railing and pulled him against her, and he had to shift his weight to keep his balance, placing one of his hands on the marble rail and pressing the other against the small of Piper's back. Gradually the world around him melted away, and all that existed was the girl in his arms.

After a few blissful minutes, they separated and Piper led Jason to the nearest bench, leaning her head against his shoulder once they'd made themselves comfortable. "What do you think is gonna happen?" she asked in a quiet voice, tracing circles on the back of his hand with her fingers.

"I wish I knew," Jason replied honestly. He wanted to tell her he was sure everything would be fine, but they both knew that was a lie. As half-bloods, they knew that more often than not, things were anything but fine, and lying about it only ever made things harder. "I've got this horrible feeling that something's coming, you know? Like all of this – the prophecy, Hazel's brother disappearing, these weird pillars – it's all connected, it's gotta be. I just… I hate _not knowing_." Jason raised his eyes to stare at the canopy of grapevines above his head, as if wishing it was enough to shield them all from whatever hardship was coming their way. "How am I supposed to do anything about it if I don't know what's going on?"

Piper was silent for a long time. "Do you think the gods know?" she finally said.

Jason considered this. "They must," he finally decided. "You said Nico was on a mission for his father, right? Which means _he_ at least has to be aware of what's going on. I'd be surprised if they haven't heard this prophecy yet, too. Thing is, well… I doubt we can count on their help." He tried to keep the bitterness from his voice, but by the end he knew he'd failed. During the Giant War, they all had known they would need the help of the gods to defeat the giants, but for a long time the gods seemed to have other ideas. They hadn't decided to lend their children a hand until it had been almost too late. There was no reason to believe that this time would be any different.

"I guess it's up to us, then," Piper said with a rueful sigh. "It's a good thing we're such great heroes, isn't it?" Jason smiled at the dry humor in her voice, squeezing her shoulder in response. She shifted her weight, pulling her legs up onto the bench beside her and curling up comfortably against his chest. Jason leaned his head against Piper's and let his gaze settle on the fountain a ways away from where they sat, barely visible in the dim, evening light, and tried to settle the nervous stirring in the pit of his stomach. Something may be coming in the future, but for the moment, the camp was safe, he was with Piper, and everything was alright.

As far as he was concerned, the future could wait. He and his friends deserved that much.

-ψ-ψ-ψ-

Jason hadn't realized he'd fallen asleep until the flashlight was shining in his face.

Holding a hand in front of him and turning his head, he sat up straight and blinked the sleep from his eyes. His neck was uncommonly sore and his back was stiff, and it took him a long minute to realize he was still sitting on a bench in the Garden of Bacchus, and that Piper was sitting up and stretching beside him.

"Jeez, guys, there are about a million more comfortable places to sleep in this joint. Even if you wanted be _alone_," a familiar voice said teasingly, and the flashlight finally lowered to reveal a smirking Leo watching them with one hand on his hip.

"Can it, Leo," Piper said, yawning widely. "What time is it?"

"Just after midnight," Leo replied, his expression turning serious. "And I'm not actually here to play chaperone. Guess what just shot up outside the Senate House?"

Jason straightened, immediately awake. "Another pillar?"

"Bingo," Leo confirmed, and a strange mixture of dread and excitement washed over Jason. They'd been right about the fourteenth pillar, but what did that mean for the camp? He started to wonder if Annabeth and Hazel had been able to uncover any information and silently cursed himself for falling asleep. Jason opened his mouth to speak, but Leo held up a hand and said, "And before you ask, no, we didn't see who did it. It just sort of… grew out of the ground. Like a freakin' daisy. Reyna's back there now, waiting to see if anything else is gonna happen."

Jason exchanged a glance with Piper, who looked just as nervous as he did, before turning back to Leo. "Let's go meet her," he said, rising to his feet. "I want to see it for myself."

-ψ-ψ-ψ-

Jason didn't know if he actually expected this pillar to be any different from the others, but if he had, he was disappointed. The new pillar was, of course, exactly like its thirteen brothers in every way. Being late at night, there was hardly anyone around to notice the new addition, but Reyna was there waiting for them.

"I just don't get it," she muttered, sounding frustrated as she stalked around the base of the structure, glaring at the black obsidian. "How is this possible? Where are they coming from?"

"Somewhere underground, apparently," Leo pointed out. He stepped up to the pillar and Reyna almost ran into him. "The Underworld, maybe?"

"But why would someone from the Underworld try to attack the camp?" Piper wondered. "Assuming this _is_ some sort of attack," she added hastily.

"Have you guys heard from Annabeth?" Jason asked.

Leo shook his head. "Not yet. We sent somebody to find her a few minutes ago, before I came to get you. She should be here soon."

"I hope she found something…" Reyna said absently, eyes still trained uneasily and somewhat angrily on the new pillar.

"Reyna!" a girl's voice suddenly called, making them all turn around sharply. "Reyna!"

"Natalie," Reyna recognized the girl, a Fifth Cohort legionnaire. She was running toward them at top speed, looking frantic. "What's wrong? Did you find Annabeth and Hazel?"

Natalie shook her head vigorously as she ground to a halt. "No," she said, sounding out of breath. "I mean—yes, but—we've got a problem. We're under attack!"

Jason flinched in surprise as eyes widened all around him. "What do you mean?" he demanded.

"Come on!" Natalie cried, before turning on her heel and dashing back the way she came. Reyna reached unconsciously for her belt before realizing they were inside New Rome and she didn't have her dagger. Cursing, she ran after Natalie, with Jason, Leo, and Piper on her heels.

Natalie led them out of New Rome and toward the edge of the Field of Mars, where Jason was mildly surprised to see Annabeth, Percy, Hazel, and Frank huddled together.

"…find this place?" Frank was saying. He had his bow in his hand and his fingers were twitching like they wanted nothing more than to grab an arrow from his quiver and send it flying.

"I don't know," Annabeth replied, sounding serious. "The better question is who sent them here?"

"Does it matter right now?" Percy demanded, shooting a glance over Annabeth's shoulder toward the hills in the distance. "They've got to be after the city. We have to protect it!"

"What's going on?" Reyna shouted as their small party came to a stop. She grabbed Percy by the arm and shot him an intense stare. "Natalie said there's an attack—who's attacking?"

Annabeth shook her head. "This isn't an attack," she said gravely. She turned and pointed a finger toward the hills across the Field of Mars, and Jason had to squint to see through the darkness. When he did, he was met with the sight of a small army made up of a strange combination of creatures. Leading the unorganized group were a team of skeletal warriors, followed closely by monsters of all shapes and sizes. Jason's stomach clenched in dread and he knew what Annabeth was about to say the instant she opened her mouth to finish.

"It's an ambush."

* * *

**A.K.A, "Sh*t's about to go down!" Woo-hoo! About time we had some excitement, isn't it? Plus we get another new POV character next chapter! Double woo-hoo!**

**Anyway, reviews are love, and love is awesome! Later days! (Wow, just realized I use a lot of exclamation points... I'm trying to quit, but you know how addictive they are.)**

**-oMM**


	7. VII Hazel

**Wow, sorry this took me so long. When I first started this chapter, I hated the way it was going, so I scrapped it and started over, and I like this version much better. It just ended up taking me a bit longer than usual.**

**Thanks always to everybody for reading/reviewing :) New POV character this chapter, and a bit more plot advancement.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**VII  
HAZEL**

"So what do we do?"

"We fight," Percy answered Frank's question immediately, uncapping the pen in his hand so it grew into a gleaming, bronze sword. "What else?"

"I was afraid of that," Frank admitted, grip tightening on his bow. Hazel wished she had her _spatha_, but she'd left it in the armory, not having expected to need it in the middle of the night. She was just about to bring up the fact that she was weaponless when Reyna interrupted.

"Natalie. Go to the armory and bring back Jason's _gladius_ and my spear. Hazel, Frank. I want you to wake the rest of the Legion. I'm not taking any chances with this. We _will_ protect New Rome." Her eyes never left the distant hills as she spoke, her voice strong and authoritative.

"On it," Hazel answered automatically as Natalie nodded obediently and Frank shouldered his bow. Hazel was grateful for the assignment – it would give her a chance to drop by the armory herself once they'd left the barracks. Without another word, the three of them turned and ran for the Praetorian Gate.

On the way back to camp, none of them spoke. Nervous adrenaline had started to pump through Hazel's veins, like it always did before a battle, though this time there was an added sense of anxiety. The prophecy Piper had told them about earlier that afternoon had shaken the feeling of peace Hazel had finally found after last summer's ordeal. Could this attack on Camp Jupiter be the beginnings of the 'war of shadows' the prophecy warned of? If that was the case, something told her they were in for a long night.

At the gate, Natalie left Frank and Hazel and sprinted toward the armory, while they made a beeline for the barracks. They roused each Cohort's centurions first and explained the situation, and before long the entire Twelfth Legion was crawling out of bed and stumbling into their clothes and armor.

"I need to stop by the armory," Hazel told Frank as they exited the Fifth Cohort barracks. "I'll meet you back out there, okay?"

"Be careful," he said seriously, as though a trip across the camp was more dangerous than heading back to face a ragtag monster army.

Hazel smiled and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "You too," she told him, before turning on her heel and running down the road.

When she reached the armory, she saw a number of messily-dressed legionnaires collecting weapons and armor into their arms. As she collected her own sword and threw on a simple breastplate just in case, she jumped in surprise when a hand suddenly touched her shoulder. Whipping around, she almost sliced Dakota in two.

"Whoa, it's me!" the centurion shouted, throwing his arms over his face. Hazel squeaked an apology and took a step back, hanging her sword from her belt. "I just wanted to ask if you knew what was going on," Dakota explained once Hazel's _spatha_ was safely away from his body. "You said we're under attack—who's attacking us?"

Hazel bit her lip, not sure how much she should say. The others hadn't outright told them the prophecy was a secret, but she still felt as though spreading rumors about it would be a bad idea. "We think this has something to do with those pillars," she settled for telling him. "Another one appeared tonight, completing some sort of formation. Then a bunch of monsters showed up. It can't be a coincidence."

"But we don't know who sent them," he guessed, looking grave. He shook his head and ran a hand through his dark hair, clenching his jaw in the same way he often did when he was frustrated. "Guess we do what we always do. You ready to go?"

When Hazel followed Dakota back outside, most of the legion had left the barracks and were now rushing toward the Praetorian Gate. They fell in with a group of Fifth Cohort legionnaires and moved with the crowd, which had begun to migrate across the camp to the Field of Mars. In the distance, Hazel could see that the army (if it could be called an army; it was very unorganized, more like a mismatched monster volunteer group out to save the planet by recycling some demigods) had crossed the Field and collided with her friends and the few legionnaires who had risen the quickest.

When she was halfway to the battle, a sudden commotion sounded from behind the borders of New Rome, causing Hazel to grind to a halt and spin around. Screams and shouts rose from the city, as well as a chorus of howls, roars, and angry yells.

"What's that?" a voice asked urgently, and Hazel turned to see that Dakota and a few others had heard the sounds as well. She exchanged a glance with a centurion before both of them dashed off toward the city.

When they reached the city borders, the statue of Terminus that stood in the center of the path was screeching at the top of his lungs. "UNACCEPTABLE!" he was saying. "All this violence—INSIDE the Pomerian Line! I will NOT have it!"

"Terminus, what's going on?" Hazel demanded, glancing into the city and trying to see through the darkness.

"Monsters!" the god statue shouted angrily. "I don't know _how_ they got in, but mark my words, they will _pay for this_ if I have to blast them myself!"

"_What?_" Hazel said, shocked. How could monsters have gotten _inside_ New Rome? Wouldn't they have seen them coming? _Unless…_

"We've got to get in there!" Dakota shouted, gripping his sword and running toward the city. When he was parallel with Terminus, however, he seemed to slam into an invisible wall, knocking him onto his back a few feet away.

"Are you _deaf_, you red-mouthed ruffian?" Terminus snapped. "_No weapons inside the Pomerian Line!_ What an idiot boy! I'm slapping your face for being so unintelligent. I hope it hurts!"

Grumbling a curse, Dakota climbed to his feet and glared pointedly at the armless statue. "If there are really monsters in there, don't you think we should _do something about it?_" he demanded. "The city's in danger!"

"The RULES are in danger!" the statue retorted, speaking over the sounds behind it.

Dakota growled in frustration and opened his mouth to argue, but Hazel barred him with her arm. "I've got an idea," she said quickly. "Gather the Cohort. I'll be right back." And without another word, she turned on her heel and ran back toward the Field of Mars. One thing was certain – they needed to get inside the city to fight off whatever had appeared beyond the borders. And as bull-headed as the guardian god was, there was one person he tended to listen to.

Hazel noticed with a jolt that the strange army of monsters and skeletons had managed to push her friends back from the Field and down toward New Rome, which shortened her trip but also made her anxious. She did her best to avoid getting herself sliced in half as she pushed through the crowd, eyes scanning the faces around her. She had to duck to avoid a pouncing hellhound the size of a pony, which was quickly intercepted by two First Cohort legionnaires shortly afterward. Once something heavy slammed against her back, knocking her to the ground, and when she turned she was greeted by the largest spider she had ever seen, complete with stringy, red hair and rows of razor-sharp teeth. She impaled it on her _spatha_ before it could take a bite out of her face and wondered briefly if Annabeth had spotted any of these particular creatures.

Finally she saw who she was looking for. "Jason!" she called as he blocked the strike of a skeleton's spear against his sword. He was standing almost back-to-back with Percy, who was facing three skeleton warriors at once, all three of whom seemed to be fighting over each other to get the first strike. Hazel reached them just as Jason shoved his skeleton backward onto the ground.

"This is insane," he complained, craning his neck to see over the heads of the legionnaires around him.

"It gets worse," Hazel said seriously. "There are more monsters inside the city. I don't know how they got there, but Terminus won't let us in to fight them. You have to come talk to him!"

"_What?_" Jason demanded.

"How could they have gotten into the city?" Percy asked rhetorically as he dodged one skeleton's sword and blocked another. "There's no way any got past us!"

"I don't think they did," Hazel argued. "I bet they came out of the ground—like the pillars."

Jason's eyes widened. "We've got to get in there."

"Go on," Percy ordered him. "We've got this." He sliced through the lead skeleton's knees, causing the rest of it to fall in a jumbled heap on the ground. Unfortunately, it sat up not a second later, reaching for its severed leg bones and sticking them back onto the joints. It stood up shakily, apparently not noticing its left foot was on backwards. "Ugh… For now, anyway." Percy added, taking a step back.

Jason nodded, looking conflicted. After a moment of hesitation, he turned and ran back the way Hazel had come, toward the main entrance into New Rome. Hazel was about to follow when someone grabbed her from behind. She turned around to see that the hand attached to her arm belonged to Piper.

"Where's he going?" she asked urgently, her eyes dark and fierce from battle. Hazel explained quickly and was unsurprised when Piper proclaimed that she was coming with Hazel to the city, and together both girls fought their way back through the crowd.

When they arrived, Jason was already arguing with Terminus. "You know what'll happen if we don't get in there," he was saying. "They're gonna destroy the city. People are gonna die! Terminus—let us pass!"

"Not with those weapons!" the statue retorted angrily.

"What are we supposed to do, fist-fight the things?" Dakota shouted angrily, but Jason stretched out an arm and held him back.

"Terminus," Jason said in a voice of forced calm. "There's an army terrorizing the city. They're breaking the rules. Let us make them pay."

Hazel crossed her fingers behind her back, and finally the god said stiffly, "You do this for _justice_, Jason Grace. And for nothing else. …Save the city, then discard your weapons. There will be _no more violence_ inside New Rome."

"YES!" Dakota cheered as relief washed over Hazel. He bounded forward and was the first one over the border, followed closely by the large fraction of the Legion that he had managed to gather during Hazel's absence.

"Thanks, Terminus," Jason said with a satisfied grin, before he, Hazel, and Piper followed the others into the city.

If Hazel's intuition hadn't been enough to prove that the attackers had come from underground, the holes dotting the dirt all throughout New Rome left no more room for guessing. If she had the time, Hazel would have tried to sense how far deep they went. But as it was, there were other things to occupy her mind – like the six skeletons currently tearing apart a nearby diner, for instance. Either they were purposely trying to make the biggest racket they could, or they had a personal vendetta against $4.99 soup and salad deals.

In seconds, Jason and Piper had disappeared from Hazel's side. There didn't appear to be quite as many monsters as up on the hill, but the added numbers of the people of New Rome made the general confusion just as high. People of all ages were running about aimlessly, most in their pajamas or half-dressed (it was after midnight, after all; presumably, most of the city had been asleep before the commotion). A few of the braver or more obstinate ones had grabbed brooms, baseball bats, kitchen knives – anything they could find to protect their families and fight off whatever came their way. Legionnaires were herding people toward the closest safe location, offering some of them weapons or armor for additional protection.

As Hazel joined in the fight against a small pack of hellhounds that had decided to take a destructive swim in a fountain in the Forum, she noticed something strange – all around her, the monsters seemed to be doing whatever they could to destroy everything except the people. They attacked buildings, street signs, patio furniture, even the road itself – but when it came to the citizens and legionnaires all they did was yell or growl or make wild movements with claws, tails, and teeth. As far as Hazel could see, no one had been seriously hurt yet.

"Hazel!" a voice shouted. Hazel jumped in surprise and spun around as Frank lumbered up to her, Reyna in tow. "Where's Jason?" Frank continued, looking serious, as Reyna skidded to a halt and surveyed the ruined city.

"I don't know," Hazel answered honestly, momentarily relieved to see that her boyfriend was safe. "I was with him earlier, but when we got into the city, he disappeared."

Reyna cursed in frustration. "How did this happen?" she demanded, glaring all around her. "Never mind, that doesn't matter. Have the citizens been evacuated to a safe location?"

"Octavian and some of the other centurions have been gathering them in the Coliseum," Hazel explained quickly. "Why are you guys here? What happened to the other battle?"

"This is the only battle now," Reyna answered, a somewhat bitter tone to her voice.

"The whole fight has sort of moved down here," Frank explained. "The monster army must have been trying to lure us all to the city, like some kind of trap."

"A trap I plan to turn on them," Reyna added. "Frank, go make sure everyone's safe. I'm going to stop this, no matter what it takes." Hazel frowned in worry as Frank nodded. He gave Hazel a brief glance before darting off toward the Coliseum, and Reyna turned sharply on her heel and ran back toward the city limits. After a brief moment of indecision, Hazel hurried after Reyna.

As they ran through the Forum, Hazel saw that Frank had been right. What looked like almost the entire Legion was now fighting just inside the Pomerian Line (probably much to Terminus' dismay). There was no doubt about it – this had to be a trap. But what did Reyna plan to do to stop it?

Suddenly Reyna grabbed someone from behind, yanking them away from the crowd and turning them to face her. With a spark of confusion, Hazel saw that it was Leo. "Does your ship have concentrated fire?" Reyna demanded harshly.

Looking startled, Leo glanced at Hazel before replying, "Of course. But I don't see how—"

"And can it be ready to launch an offensive in under ten minutes?"

"I guess. Why, what do you—?" Suddenly Leo's eyes widened and he gaped at Reyna. "You want me to fire on your city? _Again?_"

Hazel suppressed a gasp as Reyna grabbed the front of Leo's shirt in her free hand, yanking him toward her with a threatening glare. "Correction. _We're_ going to fire on my city. I'll be right beside you so if you screw it up, I can slit your throat myself."

Leo held up his hands in a gesture of surrender. "Alright, alright!" he said quickly. As Reyna let go of him, he wrapped a hand around his neck, as though making sure it was still whole. "Come on, we should hurry." He jerked his head toward the nearest Terminus statue, and he and Reyna took off at a run.

"Wait!" Hazel shouted, dashing after them. Reyna's plan to turn the monsters' trap against them might have worked, but it also would have resulted in the total destruction of what was left of New Rome – and they hadn't even completely finished rebuilding it from the last time. But if she knew that the attackers didn't really seem interested in actually harming anyone, maybe she'd reconsider and they could find another way to get rid of them.

"Get somewhere safe, Hazel!" Reyna called over her shoulder as they all crossed the Pomerian Line and exited the city, heading toward the west end of the Field of Mars where the _Argo II_ waited.

"No—Reyna! You don't understand! We don't have to—" Hazel broke off as the ground below her rumbled dangerously, throwing her off her feet. She spit out a mouthful of dirt and rolled onto her back, pushing herself up on her arms and trying to sense where the sudden earthquake had come from. As she raised her eyes, her heart sank.

An eerie, black fog was spreading rapidly from the obsidian pillar a few yards in front of her, stretching out to either side. A quick glance to her left proved that the same thing was happening to the pillar a bit farther down, and the one farther from that. In a matter of seconds, the fog had connected to form an ethereal, black wall that spread around New Rome in a zigzagged line, probably connecting all fourteen pillars. Inside the fog, tiny lights that looked almost like distant stars twinkled, making the whole thing look like the night sky. Hazel jumped to her feet and ran toward the city, but she'd only gone five steps before the fog thinned and faded, revealing a huge, open field surrounded by a seven-pointed star of obsidian columns.

New Rome – along with everyone in it – was gone.

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**Dun DUN DUNNN! Okay, not a big reveal, as once again this was in the summary. But still, I have a thing for dramatics ;)**

**Love me some reviews! See you all soon! (Hopefully sooner than last time)**

**-oMM**


	8. VIII Hazel

**Hi again! Much better update time on this one. Though to be fair, it's a lot less eventful than the last.**

**Thanks everybody for reading! Enjoy!**

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**VIII  
HAZEL**

Hazel almost convinced herself she was dreaming. The idea of an entire city vanishing behind a wall of black smoke seemed so outrageous that it just _couldn't_ be real. Maybe it was just some sort of optical illusion, like a bunch of mirrors had appeared between the pillars so it only _looked_ like New Rome had disappeared. Wasn't that how magicians pulled vanishing acts? It was the only thing that made sense.

"What…?" Reyna muttered absently from somewhere behind Hazel, who turned to see a look of complete and utter disbelief on the praetor's face. Never before had Reyna looked so lost and amazed, which was just another detail attempting to convince Hazel that this had to be a dream. Behind Reyna, Leo was sitting on the ground, staring just as blankly at the pillar formation.

Reyna took a few slow steps forward, before breaking into a run. She dashed past Hazel and between two pillars, skidding to a halt on the dirt field where New Rome's main road should have been. She spun in a circle, looking for a city that wasn't there. Everything inside the pillars – every building, road, monument, landmark, and even every statue of Terminus – was just _gone_. All that remained were the fourteen obsidian columns, standing out stark and prominent in the now empty field. "This is impossible…" Reyna said, her voice low and airy.

"What's going on?" someone called suddenly, and Hazel turned around with surprise to see Annabeth, Percy, and Grover approaching them from the direction of the Field of Mars. Hazel hadn't realized anyone else had been outside the city, but she didn't bother asking where they'd been. She still couldn't make her mouth form words.

It wasn't long before the three of them saw what had happened – or rather, _didn't_ see. "Isn't, uh…" Percy said uncertainly, pointing toward the pillars with a stunned expression, "there supposed to be a city there?"

"W-Where's New Rome?" Annabeth asked, her voice higher than usual. "What _happened?_"

"It… just… disappeared," Leo explained unhelpfully, climbing to his feet and walking slowly forward. Hazel wanted to follow him and inspect the field that used to house New Rome for herself, but her legs wouldn't move. Her body was still numb with shock.

"But… cities don't just _disappear_," Grover argued weakly, sounding almost as though he was trying to convince himself. The reed pipes in his hand dropped to the ground with a dull _thunk_, but he didn't seem to notice.

"Apparently they do," Leo replied in disbelief as he tentatively reached out a hand and touched one of the pillars. He pulled his arm back quickly as though afraid the volcanic glass would grow teeth and bite his fingers, but when that didn't happen he only frowned at it, looking mystified.

"So it _was_ a trap…" Hazel muttered, finally finding her voice.

Reyna spun around so fast a small cloud of dirt rose at her feet. She stalked toward Leo and grabbed him by the collar with both hands, shoving his back against the pillar he'd been examining. Hazel flinched in surprise, the look of desperation on Reyna's face scaring her.

"We have to find them," Reyna growled, her voice shaking. "I need your ship. We're going after them."

"Look—just calm down, okay?" Leo argued, eyeing Reyna nervously as her fists tightened in the collar of his shirt. Out of the corner of her eye, Hazel saw Percy take a step forward and Annabeth grab his arm. "We should try to—"

"Calm down?" Reyna repeated somewhat shrilly. "_Calm down?_ My entire camp just vanished _into thin air!_ An entire _city_ – gone! I don't know who did this or why, but I'm _going_ to find out. No one attacks my camp and gets away with it. I _have_ to save the city – and _you're_ going help me!"

"We don't even know where to start!" Leo shouted back, almost matching Reyna's volume and startling Hazel. "What do you expect me to do, just fly around aimlessly until we happen to spot a Roman city? And how long do you think that's gonna take? They might be in danger! Heck, they could already be dead, for all we know!"

Reyna's eyes widened in fury and in a flash she'd drawn her dagger and pressed it against Leo's throat. He froze instantly, anger vanishing from his eyes.

"Reyna!" Annabeth hissed in disapproval, eyes wide as she once again grabbed hold of Percy to keep him from intervening. Grover was watching with an uncertain expression, his fingers twitching absently by his side as though trying to play the pipes that still lay on the ground at his feet.

"They're _not_ dead," Reyna said through gritted teeth, glaring at Leo and ignoring Annabeth. "We _will _find them. And we _will_ save them. Don't _ever_ underestimate Romans."

All six of them were quiet for a long time, and Hazel silently pleaded that a fight wouldn't break out. If there was any hope of finding New Rome and everyone in it, they would all have to work together. That much was obvious.

"I'm sorry," Leo said carefully after a minute, eyes darting nervously between Reyna and the blade under his chin. "I want to help you. I'm worried about the city, too. But if we're gonna find them, we can't just go off blindly, right? We need a plan."

Reyna blinked and frowned, as though coming out of a daydream. She let out a short sigh and dropped her arms, stepping back from Leo and glaring at the ground. Hazel released her breath in relief, knowing that if there was one thing Reyna understood, it was plans. Romans never entered battle without one.

Hazel forced the tension in her body to relax a bit, trying to rationalize their situation. Yes, they needed a plan. But what plan? The entire city had just disappeared, taking all the citizens and the entire rest of the Twelfth Legion with it – including Jason, Piper, Dakota, Octavian, Frank—

_Oh, gods… Frank… _Hazel thought, a sudden and intense cold feeling washing over her. Frank had been in the city, she was sure of it. Reyna had sent him off to the Coliseum to check in on the people of New Rome and make sure they were safe, but none of them knew what had been about to happen – that inside the city was in fact the least safe place to be. And now he was gone, and Hazel felt a strange, empty sort of feeling in the pit of her stomach. She wanted more than anything to believe Reyna – that they were all still alive and just moved somewhere else. She tried to focus on her connection to the Underworld, to sense whether or not a city's worth of brand-new souls had recently applied for entry, but she wasn't anywhere near as practiced at it as her half-brother, Nico. She wished he was there with them. He could tell her if her friends were still alive. Then Hazel's heart sank even further when she remembered that she didn't even know if _he_ was alive.

Hazel swallowed hard and looked at Annabeth. "So… How come you guys weren't in the city?" she asked, desperate for a subject change to her thoughts.

"Reyna sent Percy and me to the _Argo_," Annabeth explained, her voice sounding distracted. "We ran into Grover on the way. When we felt that earthquake, though, we knew something was wrong, so we came running. Then we found you three."

"I'm a little more concerned with what we _didn't_ find," Percy pointed out, glaring at the empty field of pillars. "Was _everyone_ else inside the city?"

Hazel nodded numbly. "Unless anybody's still asleep back at camp, but I'm pretty sure the whole Legion had joined the fight."

"So it's up to us to find out what happened," Grover concluded, not sounding too excited about it.

"And we _will_ find out what happened," Reyna added, crossing her arms and walking away from the pillars, toward where she'd dropped her javelin earlier. She picked it up and rested it on her shoulder, sheathing her dagger at her belt.

"Maybe we should sleep on it," Annabeth suggested. "It's almost one-thirty in the morning, and we're all a bit tired and freaked out. We'll be able to think a bit better after some rest."

Reyna narrowed her eyes, and for a second Hazel was afraid she would start arguing with Annabeth, but she gave a short nod instead. "Fine. You can all bunk in the barracks if you want – take your pick, they're all empty." The bitterness in her voice was unmistakable, and stabbed at Hazel's heart. It was so strange to think that they were the only six people in the entire camp. Strange, and definitely wrong.

As Reyna stalked off toward the Praetorian Gate, Hazel sighed heavily, exchanging glances with the others around her. Annabeth offered her a weak half-smile in a failed attempt at reassurance. "She'll feel better in the morning," she said, though she didn't sound too sure.

"Maybe we should sleep on the ship," Percy said uncertainly to Annabeth, shooting a glance toward the camp where Reyna had gone. "We don't want to, uh… put anyone out." Annabeth nodded, and Hazel felt like she understood. Even though there wasn't technically anyone to 'put out', they didn't feel right borrowing the beds of other demigods who could very well be in mortal peril – not when it was their responsibility to find and save them. "Leo, you coming?" Percy added.

Leo was still leaning against the nearest pillar, staring at the ground with a serious, troubled expression. At the sound of his name, however, he looked up and grinned, the look on his face changing instantly to his usual carefree mask. Hazel shivered uneasily. She always hated how quickly he could change his expression – it made her wonder which of his emotions were real, and how he'd gotten so good at hiding them.

"Of course," Leo replied lightly. "Think I'm gonna stay in some stiff Roman bunk when I've got all the comforts of my own ship waiting? Yeah, right." He stepped away from the pillar and walked up the hill toward the rest of them. "Plus, the further I can get from the Ice Queen, the better. Don't want her strangling me in my sleep, after all." Annabeth chuckled and Percy and Grover each cracked a smile, all of them probably grateful for even the smallest attempt to lighten the dark mood. Leo grinned at Hazel as he passed her and she wanted to smile back, but the cold feeling in her stomach wouldn't let her.

"Goodnight, Hazel," Annabeth said with a small smile. "We'll meet you and Reyna at the camp in the morning, okay? Then we can try to figure out a plan."

Hazel nodded wordlessly, and as the four of them headed toward the Field of Mars and the _Argo II_, she turned back toward the entrance to the camp, dreading the sight of the empty Fifth Cohort barracks that awaited her.

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**Short and sweet :) Drop me a review, and hopefully I'll be back nice and quick!**

**Later days!**

**-oMM**


	9. IX Hazel

**Hi again :) Bit of a longer update this time. Thanks to everybody for reading and reviewing - I love you all for taking time out for me.**

**Enjoy!**

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**IX  
HAZEL**

Fact: The more stressed out and worried Hazel was when she went to sleep, the more likely she was to dream. So naturally that night was no exception.

In her dream, she was running aimlessly through a thick, black fog dotted with tiny pinpricks of light – almost like stars. The fog clung to her hair and clothing as she ran, as though trying desperately to slow her down. It was like the night sky had descended to the earth and wrapped around the air like a blanket, trying to draw out all oxygen and suffocate everything in its path.

She couldn't see, couldn't hear, and could barely breathe. But she only ran harder and faster, like something was chasing her, though she had no idea what it was. She glanced to her right and thought she saw something – a flicker of light and movement – so she jerked to the side and angled her run toward it.

Before long she saw something – a person running just ahead of her, just as fast and frantic, like they were running from the same thing. When he shot a glance over his shoulder, she recognized him instantly. It was Jason. But when she tried to call out to him, her voice wouldn't come, and a second later the thick fog closed around him and he was gone.

Then just as abruptly another person appeared a little further to the left – Piper. Again Hazel tried to yell her name, and again nothing happened. Piper disappeared into the darkness. More people flickered in and out of existence around her – Dakota, Gwen, Octavian, Natalie, other members of the Legion and New Rome alike – all people who had disappeared that night. Then suddenly, Frank was beside her, a desperate look on his face as he ran for his life. Tears in her eyes, Hazel reached out to him, but just before her hand touched his cloak the fog swirled around her, blocking out all sight.

When it faded, Hazel was standing in a dark forest, surrounded by trees. The air was warm and clear, and a light breeze rustled the thick canopy of leaves above her head. She couldn't see the sky, but judging by the total darkness Hazel guessed it must be well after midnight. There were no signs of life around, which she found odd, and she had the strange feeling that she shouldn't be there – like she was trespassing on private property.

Then suddenly a twig snapped behind Hazel and she spun around, eyes studying the darkness as a shadowy figure stepped through the gap between two trees. As it crept behind the nearest trunk and hid in its shadow, Hazel took a few steps closer to get a better look at the person, hoping that because this was a dream she wouldn't be seen, and almost fell over from shock.

It was a boy a few inches taller than she was, with pale skin and unkempt, black hair. His dark jeans and black shirt were torn and dirty, like he'd been rolling in a ditch, and mud was smeared on his face and arms. But that couldn't keep Hazel from recognizing him when she saw him.

It was her half-brother, Nico.

For possibly the first time ever, Hazel wished one of her nightmares was real. She wished she was really standing in that dark, eerie forest, staring her missing brother in the face. She wanted nothing more than to yell his name and grab him and take him home and lock him up so he would stop getting himself into trouble and scaring the living daylights out of her and making her worry so much. But as it was, she knew she couldn't. He couldn't see or hear her, and eventually she would wake up and he would still be missing. All she could do now was stay close to him and try to figure out where they were.

Nico was leaning back against the tree trunk, breathing fast like he'd been running. He was looking over his shoulder, dark eyes trained in the direction from which he'd come. The expression on his face was intense – maybe even afraid. He twisted the silver skull ring on the middle finger of his right hand – a nervous habit of his – and Hazel noticed with a jolt that he didn't have his sword. In fact, it didn't look like he had any weapons or protection at all.

Suddenly a branch of leaves rustled in the distance, and Nico dropped silently into a crouch, ducking into the shadows. With a frown, Hazel stepped around his tree and peered through the darkness. A few yards away, a dark shape was moving slowly and carefully toward them. Hazel couldn't make out what it was, but she knew it was big. Maybe a bear? No, it was too quiet to be a bear – this thing was an experienced tracker.

After a few seconds it stopped, falling so incredibly still and silent that Hazel almost lost sight of it. Nico frowned uneasily and leaned slowly around his tree. When he rested his hand on the ground, a twig snapped beneath it, and his eyes widened anxiously.

"Gotcha," a low voice broke the silence, making Hazel jump in surprise. Nico cursed under his breath and ducked back behind the tree just as a loud gunshot split the air. Something small and fast chipped the trunk of the tree where he had just been and Hazel could have sworn her heart stopped for a second. Clucking his tongue with a scowl, Nico sprang to his feet and broke into a run, sprinting through the trees so fast Hazel barely had time to follow before she lost him. He didn't seem to be concerned with keeping quiet anymore – only with getting as far away from whatever was chasing him as possible.

Another gunshot rang, sounding closer than the last one. Nico ducked as he ran, and Hazel heard the bullet strike a branch. He shot a glance over his shoulder, which proved to be a mistake as it caused him to trip over a protruding root.

"Nico!" Hazel called unconsciously as he yelled in surprise and fell forward, rolling across the ground and colliding with the trunk of a tree. Hazel skidded to a halt, whipping around to see that the great, black shadow from before had followed them. Nico groaned and rolled onto his back, but froze as the shadow stepped forward, finally allowing Hazel to see it clearly.

What she thought had been a bear had in fact been a man – albeit a very large one. He had to be about seven feet tall, with a thick, burly build and long legs made for quick movement. His dirty-blond hair was cut short against his head, with a matching patch of scraggly stubble spread across an angular, square jaw. His dark brown eyes were set closely together, as though made for seeing at a distance, and were trained firmly and steadily on Nico. He was dressed all in shades of brown – heavy boots, dark, wrinkled trousers, military tank, and long-sleeved jacket made of worn leather. A hunting rifle was perched on his shoulder, a telescopic scope attached to its barrel.

"It's rare I get to hunt something as lively as you," he said with a satisfied smirk, his voice deep and quiet. Hazel shivered as the leaves around her rustled as though swept by a breeze.

"What do you want with me?" Nico demanded, his voice wavering just barely. Hazel wondered why he didn't fight back – he may not have a weapon, but he could always summon the dead or shadow-travel to somewhere safer. Then she realized he might be too weak, or there could even be something else blocking his abilities. The others had said all attempts to Iris-message him had failed. Maybe whatever this forest was, it interfered with godly energy or something.

The man smiled grimly as he reached up and removed the scope from his rifle. He placed it in his jacket pocket before lifting the gun with both hands and peering down the barrel toward Nico. "What every hunter wants," he replied smugly. "Game. And you, my friend, are big game indeed."

Nico gritted his teeth and glared as the hunter's finger tightened on the rifle's trigger and cold hands gripped Hazel's heart. "NO!" she screamed, right before the gunshot blared and darkness fell.

With a jolt, Hazel sat up straight in her bed, chest heaving and forehead dotted with beads of cold sweat. She glanced around the room, trying to calm her racing heart and regain her bearings. Morning light was streaming through the windows of the Fifth Cohort barracks, and every bed around Hazel was empty. Rays of sunlight fell on sheets and pillows that still lay fallen from their owners' hasty departure the previous night. Seeing the room in that state caused the hole in Hazel's chest to grow as the night's events came rushing back to her.

And the dream had certainly _not_ helped to ease her anxiety. Demigod dreams were special in that more often than not, they tended to show you something that was actually happening in a different place or time, and Hazel had a sinking feeling that this one was no exception. It looked like Nico was in more trouble than she had feared.

With a choking sob, she realized that if the end of her dream was any indication, her brother may already be dead.

Hazel swallowed hard and climbed out of her bed. _Calm down,_ she ordered herself. _You didn't actually SEE him die. There's still a chance he escaped. We'll find him._ She took a deep breath and hastily got dressed and ready, before leaving the empty barracks behind and hurrying outside.

To Hazel's mild surprise, the other five were already awake and gathered at the T-intersection formed by Camp Jupiter's two main roads.

"Morning, Hazel," Annabeth greeted Hazel with a smile. She frowned, however, when she noticed the look on Hazel's face. "What's wrong? Did you sleep okay?" Hazel told them all about her dream, and unsurprisingly they took it about as well as she had.

"You didn't recognize the forest, did you?" Grover asked. "No identifying features or anything?"

Hazel shook her head. "It was too dark to see much, but it looked like any old forest. There wasn't much wildlife around, which I thought was weird, but it might have been because of that hunter."

Grover scowled. "I hate hunters…" he muttered angrily.

"But why would this guy be hunting Nico?" Percy wondered. "I mean, he wasn't like… a monster or a god or anything, right?"

"I don't think so," Hazel admitted, thinking back to her dream. "He was big, but he didn't feel… godly. And… he looked human enough."

"Maybe Chiron will know something," Annabeth said, looking thoughtful. "I was actually about to suggest we go back to Camp Half-Blood, anyway – maybe they can help us figure out what to do about New Rome, or maybe they've had more news about Nico. Plus we could always ask the gods for help – it looks like this is getting bigger than we originally thought."

"Asking the gods for help may be well and good for you," Reyna argued, arms folded across her chest, "but that's not how we Romans do things. And besides, we don't have time for a side-trip to the other side of the country. We have to find my camp."

"I know we do," Annabeth agreed carefully, meeting Reyna's glare unflinchingly. "But we have no idea where to start looking. They could have been transported to India, for all we know. We'll never find them if we don't get more information."

"No, we'll never find them if we waste time _talking_ about it." Reyna took a step toward Annabeth, who stood her ground. "We'll only find them by _looking_. I know my city – I'll be able to find them somehow. All of you only need to follow my lead."

Annabeth raised an eyebrow and Hazel noticed Percy and Grover cringe at Reyna's words. "You may be praetor of the Roman camp," Annabeth said slowly, her voice sounding deliberately calm, "but this quest started with us. I understand how you must feel – really, I do – but we're not here to follow your orders. This prophecy was given to us, and Chiron asked Percy and me to look into it and find out what we could. If anything, he or I should be in charge."

"Please don't bring me into this," Percy muttered with a pained expression, but Annabeth ignored him.

"With you in charge, we'd all be wasting our time with our noses stuck in a book," Reyna snapped, causing Annabeth to glower darkly at her. "What we need is action, not begging. It's not in Romans to beg."

Annabeth opened her mouth to respond, but thankfully Leo chose that moment to step between the two girls. "Alright, ladies, that's enough," he said, his voice humored but firm. "Fighting's the last thing we need right now." He put a hand on each of their shoulders and lightly pushed them apart. Annabeth just huffed and lowered her gaze, but Reyna grabbed Leo's wrist and twisted his arm behind his back, causing him to stumble and grimace in pain. "Hey, easy!" he said. "We're all on the same side here, aren't we?"

Face expressionless, Reyna looked at Annabeth. "Are we?" she challenged.

Annabeth sighed, suddenly looking more tired than angry. "Look, Reyna, we want to find the city just as much as you do. We aren't here to fight you. We're here to work with you – together. There doesn't have to be a leader."

Reyna was quiet for a long minute, seemingly having a mental battle with herself, until all of a sudden she gasped in surprise and jerked her hand away from Leo's wrist like she'd been burned (which, Hazel realized as Leo turned to face Reyna and rolled his shoulder stiffly, she probably had).

"How about this," Leo began. "We start off for Camp Half-Blood, because – let's face it – nobody has any clue where to start looking for Camp Disappearing-Act. If Miss Praetor here gets an idea or senses some Roman magic along the way, we detour and follow her lead. If not, hopefully Chiron can point us in the right direction – or any direction, really. That work for everybody?"

"It's as good a plan as any," Annabeth admitted, nodding in approval.

Reyna glared at Leo, clearly unhappy with his making light of the situation (and possibly also for burning her hand), but to Hazel's relief she finally answered, "Fine. If that's the best we can do."

As she folded her arms, Leo shook his head at her. "I got two words for you, Your Highness," he said, holding up two fingers. "_Anger management_." Hazel fought back a smile as Reyna studied Leo, before she averted her eyes and stalked silently past him and toward the Praetorian Gate, stomping hard on his foot in the process as causing him to yelp in pain. "Jeez, try to stop a dive-off and almost find yourself short two important limbs," Leo complained, dancing on one leg as Hazel and some of the others tried not to laugh. "Remind me not to joke around _her_ again," he said to Annabeth.

Annabeth gave a sympathetic smile. "I could, but it wouldn't make a difference," she pointed out.

Leo shrugged. "You're probably right."

"Come on, guys," Grover said with a shake of his head. "If we don't follow her to the ship, she might leave without us."

"If she can figure out how to operate it," Percy added. "That thing makes less sense than Apollo's poetry. It takes a special kind of idiot to design something like that."

"I think you mean 'special kind of genius'," Leo argued with a grin.

"Yeah," Annabeth said, "with an emphasis on _'special'_." This time, Hazel joined in the laughter, glad that her friends fully understood the gravity of their situation and were still able to stay optimistic. As they all headed down the Via Praetoria and back toward the _Argo II_, she thought back to the battle last night and her dream that followed. She knew everything had to be connected somehow, and that something big was already happening around them. She only hoped that as long as she and the others stuck together, they would figure out a way to fix everything. They would find her brother, and they would find New Rome, and they would stop this 'war of shadows' before it started.

Sure, because half-bloods' lives always worked out in the end. Right.

* * *

**I wrote that dream back while I was working on the outline for this story and I wasn't sure if I was gonna use it or not, but I decided what the heck? It adds a bit of danger and a sense of urgency, which are never really unwanted, right? I like it, at any rate :)**

**Leave me a review on your way out! Fourth and final POV character is revealed next chapter - any guesses on who it is? I'm excited for it, if that counts as a hint, haha.**

**Later days!**

**-oMM**


	10. X Leo

**Hi gang! Took a break from posting yesterday, but now I'm back, and I've reached double-digit chapters! Woo-hoo! This is only like a quarter of the way done so there's still a long way to go, but every milestone counts, right?**

**Thanks as always to all readers. Now, let's welcome the fourth and final POV character. Enjoy!**

* * *

**X  
LEO**

Funnily enough, Reyna _hadn't_ tried to leave without the rest of them, to which Leo had to admit he was a bit disappointed. He would have loved to see the Roman praetor try to operate his control panel. In his opinion, she needed to fail at something every now and then – everyone did. And boy, would she have failed.

Instead, they'd found her pacing back and forth on the ground beside the _Argo II_. Her arms were crossed in front of her, but her expression had softened, making Leo think she might have cooled off a bit, which was really best for everyone involved. Leo had already suffered enough of a beating from Reyna as far as he was concerned, and the calmer she was, the easier this trip was sure to be.

Everyone was strangely quiet as they boarded the ship and got underway. Once in the air, Reyna retreated belowdecks, stating that she needed to be alone for a while. Percy, Annabeth, Grover, and Hazel went down to the mess hall for breakfast. Leo remained at the helm by himself.

The late-morning, summer air was clear and bright – perfect for flying. The _Argo II_ had been cooped up at camp since last fall, as they really hadn't had much need for a warship in the past year. Things had actually been peaceful, which was a fantastic change after the Giant War of last summer. The upside of having nowhere to go was that Leo had had plenty of time to study the Archimedes sphere and scrolls he'd found in that workroom last July, and his dream of rebuilding Festus' body was now actually a possibility. Sure, Festus made a great figurehead for the _Argo II_ – but there was nothing quite like a giant, mechanical, bronze dragon. You just can't beat something like that.

But of course, even those few short months of peace and excitement couldn't last. As soon as Nico was sent on that errand for Hades, Leo knew something big was up. Sure, gods asked their demigod kids to do things for them all the time. And Nico was always off looking into something or following someone or tracking some random monster. Heck, that kid could barely sit still. But for some reason, this time felt different – almost darker. Leo hated trusting gut feelings and usually preferred to figure things out logically, but he just couldn't shake the sense of foreboding and anxiety he'd felt ever since Nico had left. And when the son of Hades hadn't returned, Leo had tried really hard not to take that as a sign that his gut feeling was right. But then Rachel had told them her prophecy, and he stopped trying to deny it altogether.

As vague and equivocal as the prophecy was, one thing was clear: they had _another_ war on their hands. The problem was, they had no idea what the sides would be. Would some totally new enemy show up and take them all on? Would a whole army's worth of monsters decide to go demigod-hunting? Would one or more of the gods revolt against the rest? Or worse, would friends be turned against one another? Even when you were given predictions of the future on a daily basis, it seemed like the real future was anything but predictable.

"You hungry?"

Leo had been so lost in thought he didn't see or hear Annabeth approach him, and nearly jumped out of his skin at her sudden voice. She smiled and quirked an eyebrow at his reaction. Leo chuckled sheepishly and eyed the plate of buttered toast balanced on her left hand, not having realized how empty his stomach was.

"Actually, yeah," he replied, reaching for a slice and shoving the whole thing in his mouth. "Thanks," he tried to say, but through a mouthful of toast it sounded more like "Hainsh."

Annabeth must have understood, because she said, "I actually wanted to thank _you_. For intervening earlier, and for coming up with a compromise." She reached the plate toward the control panel beside them, but evidently couldn't find a space clear enough to set it down, and instead held onto it. "You were right, fighting is the last thing we need right now. I just wish there was something I could say to Reyna to show her that we really do want to help, you know? That we care about her, and everyone else."

Leo swallowed the toast and reached for another slice. "It's gonna take more than a few pretty words to show her that. Romans are men of action," he added, straightening his back and placing a fist over his heart for emphasis.

Annabeth smiled and shook her head. "I guess you're right," she admitted. "Still, it would help if we didn't purposefully do anything to make her angry or upset." She shot Leo a pointed look, and he raised his eyebrows innocently.

"What, me?" he said. "It isn't my fault that girl's a fuse waiting to blow."

"You would be, too, if everyone you knew just disappeared into thin air," Annabeth replied dryly, and Leo gave a half-shrug, conceding the point.

Leo didn't know Reyna very well, having only met her twice before. The first time, he'd made a fabulous first impression by bombing her city and officially (if accidentally) declaring war on the Romans. The second time, she was clearly still a bit sore about the first and while she accepted that the attack wasn't intentional and agreed to join forces with the Greeks to take on Gaea's army, Leo wasn't stupid enough to expect to be completely forgiven. When they'd met with her and Jason yesterday, she had treated them as allies, which was the best he could really hope for. She hadn't spoken to him much during their pillar stake-out that night, but she hadn't tried to kill him either, which was a good sign. And after her freak-out late last night, Leo was content to leave her be. Sure, the girl was gorgeous, in a strong, regal, look-at-me-like-that-and-I'll-kick-your-tail kind of way. But like Annabeth, she was also downright _scary_. She was maybe half an inch shorter than Leo, but when she stood straight he could have sworn she grew at least a foot (or maybe it was just that she made everyone else shrink). It was impossible to tell what she was thinking, and even tougher to guess what she would do, especially now that she'd just lost everyone she cared about. Annabeth was right – Reyna had a reason to be short-tempered.

"I'm just saying we should try to cut her some slack," Annabeth continued, looking out over the horizon. "She's probably so worried and lost, not knowing what to do. I know how hard that is. Lashing out must just be her way of letting out her frustration." She turned and glanced thoughtfully at Leo. "You should understand. She's a lot like you, actually."

"Like me," Leo repeated incredulously. How was Reyna anything like him? "You're kidding, right? When have I ever attacked somebody out of nowhere?"

"I don't mean like that," Annabeth explained somewhat impatiently, shaking her head. "I mean she uses coldness and anger as a way to hide what she's really feeling, the same way you use humor and jokes. You both hide how much you're hurting—you just do it behind different masks."

Leo stared at Annabeth, dumbfounded. She said it so matter-of-factly, like it was obvious, that for the life of him Leo could think of nothing to say in reply. Mostly, that was because she was absolutely right. And judging by the calm, serious look on her face, she knew it without a doubt.

"Don't worry, I think you have everybody else fooled," Annabeth said with a knowing smile, noting the look on Leo's face. "I'm just good at reading people—especially my best friends." She reached out and squeezed his arm lightly. Leo gave her a wry smile.

"Sometimes I hate how smart you Athena kids are," he said pointedly.

Annabeth grinned. "No, you don't," she said confidently. She grabbed the last slice of toast from her plate and handed it to Leo. "Just remember what I said about Reyna, okay? We don't want to make this any harder for her than it already is."

"Aye-aye, Captain," Leo promised with a mock salute. Annabeth smiled and retreated back down the stairs.

-ψ-ψ-ψ-

A few hours into the trip, Festus reported a nasty storm front over southern Nebraska, and Leo was forced to angle their flight to the south to avoid the chance of an unwanted bath. It would make the journey a bit longer than anticipated, but he didn't think the others would mind. Especially Reyna – it would give her more of a chance to try and find New Rome, however it was she planned on doing that. Who knows, she might have even been hiding some kind of Roman telepathy she was using to track their friends. She hadn't said much of anything since they'd left San Francisco, and at the moment was standing on deck near the bow of the ship, leaning on the railing and staring off into the distance. But any minute, Leo was expecting her to turn around and yell at him to land immediately.

So naturally, he was rather surprised when the order came from someone else first.

"STOP THE SHIP!"

Leo jumped in alarm and immediately decreased the power output from the ship's engine, slowing its speed considerably and causing him to stumble forward against the control panel (He couldn't outright _stop_ the ship or they ran the risk of falling out of the sky). He was just about to run to the stairs to see who the heck had decided now was a good time for a detour when Grover suddenly appeared on the quarterdeck, a wild look in his eyes and a scrap of aluminum hanging from his mouth.

"What? What's wrong?" Leo demanded, worried by the look on the satyr's face. "Something after us?"

"No," Grover said, shaking his head vigorously. "I don't know—It's not the air—Down below—I can sense—There's something—I don't know." And with that helpful explanation, he turned and dashed back down the stairs to the main deck. Leo threw up his hands emphatically and followed him.

By the time Leo caught up to the satyr, he was already leaning so far over the railing that Leo had a horrible vision of him tumbling over the side of the ship and falling to his death. He blinked it away and shook his head, noticing that the others were slowly gathering around.

"What's going on?" Hazel asked, eyeing Grover nervously and probably also imagining him as a goat-pancake.

"I don't know," Leo replied. "I think Lord of the Flowers over there senses something below us."

"The _Wild_," Grover corrected sharply. "And yeah. Something bad. Like… and entire civilization in trouble. Also something powerful—really powerful. I… don't know if it's dangerous or not."

"Where are we?" Annabeth asked, leaning over the railing to glance down below them (though not quite as far as Grover), but all they could see were clouds and colors.

Leo ran back up to the helm and glanced at the navigation panel. "We're over Tennessee," he called down to the others.

"So how 'bout it?" Percy asked. "Want to check it out?"

"I don't know," Reyna said skeptically. "What if it takes too long and… and we miss something?" Leo was sure she meant _What if something happens to Camp Jupiter?_ He understood her concern. They had a mission, after all.

"There's always a chance whatever's down there could give us a clue," Annabeth pointed out. "Think about it. What if this is related to the prophecy – the darkness and the shadows? Maybe we're really supposed to go see what's going on."

Reyna bit her lip and glanced over the side of the ship. "…Alright," she finally agreed. "Let's do it."

"Okay, guys," Leo said with a grin as he set to work on the ship's controls. "Let's go answer the Call of the Wild."

* * *

**So short... It's weird for me to write short chapters like this. Most of my other stuff is like, uber-long.**

**I actually already have the next four chapters finished, but I'll probably wait a bit to post them. Don't want to rush through this, after all, and I've been making good time so far. There's some exciting stuff coming up, though - just you wait.**

**Who knows, maybe if I get more reviews I'll update faster? I should start a system to that effect, haha. I like to know I haven't lost you guys.**

**Later days!**

**-oMM**


	11. XI Leo

**Yo :) Bit on the short side this time, but still fun.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**XI  
LEO**

As it turned out, finding a place to land a gigantic Greek trireme in southern Tennessee was no easy task. The expanse of land below them where Grover insisted they needed to go was covered by miles and miles of mountainous woods, many regions of which were heavily tourist-populated. They ended up settling down far on the southeastern tip of the state, almost into northern Georgia, in a rocky, open field between an endless line of trees and a cavernous cliff side that rose high above the mainmast of the _Argo II_.

"You said we're in Tennessee, right?" Annabeth said with a frown as they all disembarked and started trekking toward the dark curtain of trees. "I think this might be the Cherokee National Forest. It stretches all along the eastern edge of the state. This must be one of the wilderness regions, though… It doesn't exactly look tourist-friendly."

"Let's just hope it's demigod-friendly," Percy pointed out, sticking a hand in his pocket where his sword probably rested in ballpoint-pen-form (Leo had been meaning to build a weapon like that—like a drinking straw that expanded into a spear or a spoon that became a war hammer—but he hadn't yet gotten around to it). "Alright, Grover. Lead the way."

If the forest looked ominous from the outside, the inside certainly wasn't any better. The trees were so thick that hardly any sunlight broke through their leaves, making it feel like night even though it was still late afternoon. The temperature was cooler in the shade, and a light, airy breeze was blowing. The sound of rustling leaves filled the air, but other than that, the place was silent as the grave—not a good comparison for half-bloods. The whole place gave Leo a strange sort of rebellious feeling, like when you walk on lawns with those 'Keep Off the Grass' signs—you know you're breaking the rules and it feels like any second somebody will pop up and bust you, but that doesn't squash the slight thrill of the act.

"This is weird," Annabeth said absently, leaning her head back to look straight up at the canopy of leaves. "It's so… empty." Now that she mentioned it, Leo realized he hadn't noticed the distinct absence of any other living things. Sure, there was thriving flora everywhere they looked. But no animals of any kind. There weren't even any insects.

"This is just like…" Hazel muttered quietly, frowning down at the earthy forest floor.

Leo understood almost instantly what she meant. "Your dream?" he guessed.

Hazel nodded and looked up at Leo with wide eyes. "What if this is where Nico is?" she said, her voice just above a whisper.

"I might know a way to find out," Grover said with a frown, clearly perturbed by the lack of life in the forest. He stepped up to the nearest tree and placed his palm against the trunk, closing his eyes. Leo was about to ask if Grover had super tree-telepathy when all of a sudden a girl stepped right out of the trunk like it was a door.

She looked to be about sixteen. She was barefoot and dressed in a simple pair of blue jeans and a jade tank top, which complemented her green skin and hair perfectly. It took Leo longer than it should have to realize she was a dryad.

Her eyes scanned the small crowd of visitors, and when they landed on Grover she broke into a huge grin. "Ooh, a satyr!" she squealed, clapping her hands together. "We haven't had a satyr visit in _forever!_ What's it been, Clover—eighty, ninety years?"

Suddenly a second dryad stepped out of the tree directly to the left of the first one, dressed in a similar manner, though her skin was a slightly lighter shade of green and her hair was colored with brown streaks. "Feels like nine _hundred_," she said dramatically, beaming at Grover and completely ignoring the five demigods around him. "Take a step back, Maggie, I saw him first."

"_Excuse_ me?" the first dryad—Maggie—said sharply. "He called out to _me_, Clover. Besides, you don't have a chance. Your branches are way too thick, and have you _seen_ the pigmentation on some of those leaves? Talk about tacky."

Grover grimaced, and Leo snickered in amusement. "Uh, actually—"

"Tacky? _Me?_" Clover retorted, interrupting Grover. "Who's the one leaving her roots uncovered for everyone to see? I mean, do you _want_ people to think you're trashy?"

"Why don't you go chug some fertilizer? It might improve your color a bit."

"Gods, you're such a sapling!"

"Bird-feeder!"

"Drainage spout!"

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" Grover shouted over the two dryads, interrupting what was sure to be a very entertaining tree-fight. Leo tried not to look too disappointed. He would have placed good money on Clover. "Besides, I uh…" Grover continued somewhat awkwardly, "I have a girlfriend."

The two dryads let out a collective groan of disappointment, but recovered almost instantly. "Well, you can't blame a couple trees for trying," the first one said cheerfully. "I'm Magnolia—you can call me Maggie. This is Clover."

"Grover," Grover offered, looking relieved that the fighting had stopped. "I was actually wondering if you guys could help out me and my friends?"

"Anything for a cute satyr," Clover answered with a winning smile.

Leo noticed Percy roll his eyes and Annabeth suppress a giggle as Grover said uncomfortably, "Right. So… why isn't there any wildlife in this forest?"

Instantly the smiles vanished from both the dryads' faces. They exchanged sad glances, before Maggie explained, "That's because of the _hunter_." She said the last word like it left a foul taste in her mouth.

"The hunter?" Hazel repeated, eyes widening. Leo knew everyone else was thinking the same thing—there was a hunter in Hazel's dream. Could it be the same one?

"Yeah," Maggie continued. "He showed up here a little over a year ago, and he's been killing or capturing every living thing in the forest. He doesn't normally come out this far, but we've seen him a few times. He's big and he's scary, and he _loves_ to hunt. Sometimes he sets his captives free just so he can hunt them down again."

"That's horrible," Annabeth said.

"I know, right?" Clover agreed. "A couple of the trees from up north tried to stop him once, but… But he…" A sob cut her voice short, and Maggie patted her sympathetically on the back.

"He cut them down and used them to build more cages," Maggie finished. "Clover had a good friend in that part of the forest. …She's gone now."

Grover looked positively livid. "We've got to find this guy," he said, his voice low.

"Um…" Hazel began somewhat timidly. "You guys don't happen to know if any other demigods have been here recently, do you?"

Maggie tilted her head to the side thoughtfully. "I haven't seen any, but a few days ago we sensed something different enter the forest. Something powerful. Maybe that was who you're looking for?" Hazel's hands tightened into fists, her expression scared.

"Thank you," Grover said to the two dryads, both of whom offered him bright smiles in reply. "We really appreciate your help."

"Our pleasure," Clover said. "And tell some of your satyr friends about us, okay? It sure gets lonely in this forest." They both stepped back into their trees and were gone.

"So now what?" Reyna asked. "Still think this has something to do with the prophecy and my camp?"

"Maybe," Annabeth answered uncertainly. "But whether it does or not, there's a definite chance that Nico's somewhere in this forest. I think we should try to find this 'Hunter'… He may not have the greatest sense of morality, but maybe he'll talk to us."

"Time for the hunter to become the hunted?" Leo said, raising an eyebrow.

"Exactly," Annabeth agreed with a smirk, leading the way through the trees.

The going was actually relatively tough, given the wild, overgrown state of the forest. The gaps between trees were large enough, but the uneven ground was littered with rocks, branches, leaves, and the occasional fallen, decaying tree trunk. Leo hoped this hunter would be willing to help them—he hated to imagine trying to run through this mess.

"So, any ideas on how to track this guy down?" Percy said as they walked.

"Maybe we just have to make a lot of noise and he'll come to us," Leo suggested with a shrug.

Hazel stumbled over a protruding root and almost lost her balance. "I don't think that's going to be a problem…" she pointed out.

Not a minute later, Annabeth came to a sudden stop, throwing her arms out to either side and causing Percy and Hazel to smack into her. "What gives?" Percy asked, grabbing his girlfriend's arm to steady her as she stumbled forward.

"I thought I heard something," Annabeth explained with a frown, eyes scanning the shadowy forest in front of her. Suddenly her gaze snapped onto something just ahead and to the right. "There!" she said, pointing toward whatever it was. Leo stepped beside Hazel to get a closer look, but before he saw anything he heard the growl.

"Wh-What was that?" Grover asked nervously, telling Leo he wasn't imagining things (which he couldn't decide if he was grateful for or not).

Leo swallowed hard. "I don't think human hunters growl like that."

Percy reached into his pocket and pulled out Riptide, uncapping it so it grew to full size and shape. He stepped around Annabeth and walked slowly in the direction she was pointing, eyes scanning the shadows.

"I thought there wasn't anything living here?" Reyna said, a slight edge to her voice as she drew her dagger.

Percy stopped a few yards away from them. When silence fell and nothing else happened, he turned back to the others with a bewildered frown. "Maybe there's nothing—"

That instant, his voice was drowned out by a vicious growl much higher in volume than the last one, and in a flash a huge, black shadow the size of a small car leapt from behind a gigantic fallen tree trunk. It tackled Percy from behind before he could turn around, bright red eyes shining through the dim light.

* * *

**Uh-oh... More excitement coming up... Review for me and I'll update faster (still have the next few chapters already done, just waiting to post 'em).**

**Later days!**

**-oMM**


	12. XII Leo

**'Lo there :) Thanks to everybody who's been reading/reviewing - love you guys' input. Really short chapter here, but not a bad one, I don't think.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**XII  
LEO**

"Percy!" Annabeth and Grover shouted in unison as the son of Poseidon was knocked to the ground beneath the great, black hound, sword flying from his hand. The dog snarled viciously, glaring at the group with blood-red eyes.

"What's a hellhound doing _here?_" Hazel asked frantically, pulling her _spatha_ from its sheath and holding it at the ready.

"I don't know, but I'll tell you what it's _not_ doing," Leo replied, instinctively running forward. "Turning any demigods into new chew-toys." He thrust both arms out in front of him and sent a jet of bright orange flames toward the hellhound, smacking it right above the shoulder. It howled as it was thrown backward by the force, its fur charred and smoking.

Annabeth ran immediately toward her boyfriend, and Leo was about to follow when a hand grabbed the back of his shirt and he was yanked backward, coming face-to-face with an angry Grover.

"Are you _crazy?_" the satyr demanded. "What do you want to do, start a forest fire?" He gestured wildly to the small, burning branches and leaves that dotted the ground, ignited by the ashes that fell when the fire had hit the hellhound.

"Sorry," Leo said quickly, mentally smacking himself. "Wasn't thinking."

Another growl split the air as the hellhound climbed to its feet. It leapt forward, toward where Hazel and Reyna were standing, and both girls dove to either side to avoid its outstretched claws. Hazel jabbed outward with her cavalry sword, slicing into the hellhound's right front leg and causing it to stumble, and Reyna rolled into a crouch in front of it, javelin in hand. She jumped to her feet and aimed a strike at the hellhound's face, but it closed its teeth around the shaft of her javelin and bit it in two. Reyna jumped to the side to avoid the same fate.

Behind the hellhound, Annabeth was pulling Percy to his feet, but he grimaced and dropped back to one knee almost immediately. Grover stood between them and Leo and had pulled out a set of reed pipes. He pressed them to his mouth and played a quick, lively tune, and thick vines grew out of the ground and wrapped themselves around the hellhound's back legs. It growled and made a swipe for the vines, narrowly missing Hazel with its claws and instead whacking her with the back of its paw. She flew a few yards back and rolled across the dirt, her sword landing by her feet.

Leo knew fire was dangerous in a forest this thick, but he had to do something. Maybe if he got closer he could make sure no stray flames got away from him. With this in mind, he gritted his teeth and started toward the hound, but almost collided with Reyna just before he was within range.

"Give me a boost!" she said urgently, grabbing Leo by the arm and pulling him toward the hellhound's back as it busied itself with clawing and biting at the vines still encircling its back legs. Leo wasn't sure he understood, but when Reyna pulled out her dagger and eyed the hound's head, it hit him.

"Whatever you say," he said skeptically, admiring her bravado but secretly wondering if she was more insane than he was. When they were close enough and sure the hound's head was facing away from them, Leo laced his fingers together tightly and dug his heels into the ground. Reyna stepped onto the bridge made by Leo's hands and used his shoulder as leverage as he pulled her up, allowing her to leap onto the hellhound's back. It finally noticed someone was causing a disturbance just before she drove her dagger into the back of its neck.

The hellhound let out a deafening howl and burst into millions of tiny dust particles. Reyna dropped to the ground, landing in a crouch and covered in so much black dust that she looked like she'd taken a swim in a pool full of coffee grounds. Leo brushed some of the dust from his own hair and shoulders and offered her a hand, pulling her to her feet with an appreciative grin.

"Nice work," he said as she wiped dust from her face and tried to shake off her clothes. "Guess you're just as deadly as you are dead-serious."

Reyna fixed Leo with a pointed look. She opened her mouth to respond but froze when a strange sound interrupted her.

_Clap. Clap. Clap._

All six of them fell silent, heads whipping around to find the source of the noise, as out of the shadow between two trees stepped a huge, seven-foot-tall man in a brown leather jacket. He was clapping his hands slowly and deliberately, a double-barrel shotgun under his arm and a smirk on his face. Leo felt something in his chest tighten in dread—this man looked just like the one Hazel had described from her dream. And from the look of him, Leo was fairly certain that polite conversation and cooperation were not going to be an option.

"Not bad," the hunter said, his voice low and quiet, just above a whisper. "But unfortunately, y'all just took out my prey." An evil smile spread across his face as he clutched his shotgun in both hands, raising the barrel and taking aim. "Guess that means I'll have to hunt you, instead."

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**And now we meet the hunter! I love the next chapter (we're back with Annabeth! I don't know why, but I really like writing her) - so review for me and I'll throw it up faster. Otherwise, look for it sometime mid-next week probably, to keep with my recent time-spacing. Don't want to rush, after all :)**

**On a different note, ohmigosh did anyone else see that video of Rick reading an exerpt from HoH? From an Annabeth chapter in the middle of the book? Ugh it made me SO want to read it like RIGHT NOW. SUPER intense and awesome - can't wait! /fangirl moment**

**Reviews are love, friends! Later days!**

**-oMM**


	13. XIII Annabeth

**Hi again! Thanks everybody for reading/reviewing. I absolutely love hearing from you, even if it's just to tell me to update faster, haha. Lets me know people are actually interested in this :)**

**This one's a good deal longer than the last one, and I had a lot of fun with it. Enjoy!**

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**XIII  
ANNABETH**

Looking down the barrel of a shotgun was a new experience for Annabeth, and she quickly filed it under 'things I never want to do again'—right next to 'play fetch with Cerberus' and 'ride a New York City sewage geyser' (oh, the life of a demigod).

If it wasn't already obvious enough that this giant of a man was the same one from Hazel's dream the previous night, the look on the daughter of Pluto's face erased any doubt whatsoever. "You…" Hazel muttered, eyes wide in apparent anger. The hunter didn't seem to hear her, and instead continued to watch them all with interest.

"Not goin' to run?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. His accent suggested he was from the Tennessee area, but his knowledge of hellhounds suggested differently. "That takes the thrill from the hunt, you know."

Annabeth glanced sideways at Percy, who was on his feet but was leaning heavily on her shoulder. When the hellhound had tackled him, its claws had raked across his back, leaving a series of jagged cuts running from his shoulders almost to his waist. The lines weren't deep, but if she didn't try to treat them soon, things could still get much worse. A fight would waste a lot of time, but she wasn't sure if he could manage running either. Although, if they happened across a forest stream or river, he could be good as new in seconds. But Annabeth knew better than to count on luck.

Before she could make a decision, however, Hazel snatched up her sword and sprang to her feet. "Where is my brother?" she demanded, getting the hunter's attention.

He regarded her with a slight frown. "Your brother?" he repeated, scratching his stubbly chin. "Now, you can't expect me to remember _everythin'_ I hunt down. That'd be like tryin' to rattle off every breakfast you done had for the past three years."

"What have you _done with him?_" Hazel yelled, this time not waiting for an answer. She raised her sword and charged toward the hunter with surprising speed. He aimed his shotgun and Annabeth jumped in alarm as he fired, but Hazel ducked instinctively and the shot must have missed her, instead separating a branch from its tree. The hunter clucked his tongue and stuck the shotgun under his arm, yanking a dirk from his belt with his left hand and using it to block the strike of Hazel's sword.

As Hazel backed up and aimed a jab at the hunter's legs, Annabeth seized the opportunity and pulled the backpack from her shoulders, yanking open the zipper and rummaging through its contents. Her hand closed around a Ziploc bag of ambrosia squares and she pulled it out, swiftly reaching in and breaking a chunk off.

"Here, eat this," she ordered her boyfriend, shoving the ambrosia into his hand.

Percy shook his head, wincing at the strain on his neck. "You should save it," he argued. "That's all you've got, right? Might have a bigger need later on."

"Shut it, Seaweed Brain," Annabeth said firmly, glancing at the others as Hazel ducked beneath a swing of the hunter's knife. "We're either gonna have to fight or run, and at the moment you can't do either. So _eat it_." Knowing they probably didn't have much time to dawdle, Annabeth shoved the chunk of ambrosia into Percy's mouth herself. He coughed and choked at first, but eventually swallowed it and glared at her, which told her he was already feeling better.

Annabeth turned back toward the hunter just in time to see him smack Hazel across the stomach with his shotgun. She was thrown backward with a shout, and when her back collided with a tree she slid to the ground and groaned, her sword sticking in the dirt just out of her reach.

As Grover knelt by Hazel's side, Annabeth noticed that Leo and Reyna had disappeared. Concerned, she quickly scanned the area and spotted them sneaking up behind the hunter from either side. Reyna was gripping her dagger tightly, and Leo was brandishing a lug wrench in one hand and a cow hammer in the other, both of which must have come from the enchanted tool belt around his waist. At the moment, the hunter didn't seem to notice them.

The hunter chuckled, his voice still strangely quiet. Annabeth wondered if maybe after so much time spent hunting and tracking, he was so used to whispering that he hardly ever spoke much louder. "Not bad," he said again as he stuck the dirk back into his belt and his gaze travelled to Annabeth and Percy, "but I'm still the better tracker."

Reyna darted forward with her dagger, but the hunter sidestepped easily, as though he'd known she was there the entire time. In one movement, he spun around, using his gun to sweep Reyna's feet out from under her and his free hand to grab Leo by the throat, lifting him into the air. "I think you'll find sneakin' up on me a bit harder than that," the hunter said with a smirk, tightening his grip on Leo's neck and causing him to cringe and gasp breathlessly, both his tools falling from his hands.

With a growl, Percy pulled Riptide from his pocket, where it must have returned since the hellhound's first attack. Annabeth took out her knife and they both started forward. They ground to a halt, however, when Leo wrapped both hands around the hunter's wrist and flames ignited all down his arms. His captor grunted in surprise and released his grip, reflexively retracting his burned arm as the fire vanished and Leo dropped to the ground, coughing violently.

Surprisingly, the hunter only laughed, examining the blackened section of his leather sleeve. "That's a different trick," he said almost appreciatively. "You'll make a good prize, you will." He raised his gun like a club and made to swing it against Leo's head, but Reyna made a wild jab with her dagger and grazed the lower side of the hunter's leg, causing him to growl and whip around toward her.

"Come on!" Annabeth shouted, vaulting over a fallen tree and dashing toward the others with Percy on her heels. Reyna rolled backward just as the hunter once again drew his dirk and swung it down at her, narrowly missing amputating her left arm.

Annabeth dropped to the ground and slid baseball-style across the dirt just behind the hunter, who was turned to the side toward Reyna. He spun around and swung both shotgun and knife toward Annabeth, and as he aimed his weapons low Percy threw Riptide like a javelin. The sword sliced across the hunter's unprotected shoulder, tearing through his jacket and cutting a deep line in the center of his right bicep, and they were rewarded with a shout of rage as the giant man took a step back and missed Annabeth completely.

As Annabeth sprang to her feet and backed away from the hunter, the sound of Grover's reed pipes filled the air. She shot a glance toward him and noticed that he was on his feet beside Hazel (who was leaning against a tree and breathing heavily, pain on her face and her hand clutching her left shoulder), glaring at the hunter and playing a fast-paced tune. The wind around them picked up rapidly and lifted a torrent of leaves into the air. They swirled toward the hunter, circling him in a whirlwind and almost blocking him from view.

"ARGH!" he shouted unintelligibly—the loudest Annabeth had heard his voice get. He slashed at the leaves with his dirk, slicing a few in half, but as Grover kept playing, the tornado didn't relent.

As Percy threw an arm over his face and backed up to avoid both the whirlwind and the hunter's wild swings, he tripped over a particularly thick branch and landed hard on his back on the ground. Annabeth ran toward him, giving the tornado a wide berth. When she grabbed his arm to help pull him up, his face screwed up in pain and he unconsciously jerked away from her. Annabeth bit her lip anxiously and looked over her shoulder at her friends.

Grover was still furiously playing his pipes, trying to keep the song going for as long as possible. Hazel had sagged a few inches down her tree and was breathing heavily, one hand still clutched over her shoulder. Annabeth couldn't see any blood, but she may have broken or dislocated it, which would need fast treatment. Leo was stumbling to his feet and rubbing his neck, reaching out a hand to pull Reyna up from the ground. All in all, Annabeth wasn't sure how much more of this they could take without a break. This guy was just too strong.

"Let's get out of here!" she shouted at them all, hoping they could hear her over the sound of the wind. Hazel looked over and nodded, and Leo and Reyna started toward Annabeth.

Suddenly a loud gunshot sounded, and Grover yelped and dropped quickly to a crouch, throwing his hands over his head protectively. The bullets that had been aimed at him struck a tree branch behind where his head had been the second before. He dropped his reed pipes in the process, and when the music stopped the wind died down and the leaves floated harmlessly to the ground.

"Run if you want," the hunter—now free of the tornado—told them, his voice back to its low whisper. "I _always_ catch my prey."

The look on his face made Annabeth's blood run cold. She grabbed Percy by the arm and, ignoring his strangled yell, yanked him to his feet. She saw Grover shoot her a look of understanding before he wrapped his arm around Hazel's waist and started guiding her at a swift pace away from the hunter. Leo turned and ran after them. Reyna stuck her knife in her belt and followed, but the hunter had no intention of letting them get away easily. He lunged with his dirk—which, for a man of his size, covered a lot a ground—and Reyna barely had time to dodge what probably would have been a fatal attack to her back. Instead the knife sliced her right thigh, causing her to scream through clenched teeth and drop to one knee.

"No!" Annabeth shouted, wanting to run forward but knowing she was too far away. At the sound of Reyna's yell, Leo skidded to a halt and spun around. His eyes widened as the hunter replaced his dirk and brushed off his hands, and seemingly without a thought Leo ran back for Reyna. He gripped her arm and helped her to her feet, letting her lean on him rather than her injured leg.

"You're the one who done beat me to my last hunt," the giant man said thoughtfully, regarding Reyna with a slight scowl. _Please, hurry…_ Annabeth silently pleaded, starting to edge away from the hunter and praying with everything she had that Leo and Reyna would be fast enough. "You'll be the first," the hunter finished with a frightening grin, and he raised his gun to eye level.

"GET DOWN!" Annabeth screamed frantically. Leo shot a glance over his shoulder just in time to see the hunter's finger tighten on the trigger. He yanked his arm from behind Reyna and shoved her roughly to the side in the exact instant the gunshot blared, sending both of them stumbling to the ground. Annabeth breathed a sigh of relief, until the hunter lowered his gun and laughed.

"You demigods sure do make for an entertainin' hunt," he said with a shake of his head.

Annabeth didn't like the look on his face—not one bit. It filled her with a cold sense of dread, like something was very wrong.

"Leo?" Reyna suddenly said, causing Annabeth to look away from the hunter and fix her eyes on the Roman praetor. Reyna was sitting up, eyebrows knitted tightly together—though whether from pain or anxiety, Annabeth couldn't tell. She reached out tentatively and placed a hand on Leo's shoulder, and Annabeth noticed with a horrible pang that he was still lying face-down on the forest floor, not moving.

"_Leo_," Reyna said again, more urgently. She shook his shoulder. He remained still.

_No…_ Annabeth thought numbly, too shocked to speak.

"One down," the hunter said with a low chuckle, eyes meeting Annabeth's as a smile spread across his face. "Five to go."

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**Here you go, gang, have a cliffhanger. You know how much I love them ;) Want to find out what happens next? Drop me a review!**

**NOTE TO "SUPER-MEGA-LONG-JOURNAL-ENTRY-RAIN-COMPUTER-BATTE RY-GUEST-GIRL" (if you're not her, just scroll past this): Haha, I actually love the long reviews - makes me glad when people take time out for me :) Anyway, a lot of people on here don't actually write and only make accounts so they can follow/review other stories. It makes it easier, you know? That's how I started out when I first made my account back in 2005 (ho-jeez it's been almost ten years since then... That makes me feel old, haha). Alternatively, you could just follow me on tumblr, since you said that's where you found this (my URL is psykology), but sometimes I'm lax at posting on there, so doing it here would be a lot more reliable. Plus then I could answer your reviews/questions directly, rather than your having to wait for the next chapter. I guess that answers question A, and as for B, that was actually just a coincidence, but now that you mention it I'll be sure to touch on it at some point. For C, yeah, I'll discuss that too, but I like to think they've bonded a bit since the end of MoA. Thanks for the awesome reviews!**

**Later days, all!**

**-oMM**


	14. XIV Annabeth

**I was gonna wait 'til tomorrow to update, but this chapter's pretty short, so I'm throwing it up a day early.**

**Thanks for the reviews, everybody. Enjoy!**

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**XIV  
ANNABETH**

"Annabeth!" someone shouted, shaking Annabeth out of her stupor. She turned to her right to see Grover gripping her arm, his expression serious. "Annabeth," he said again, "take Percy and Hazel and run. I'll get Reyna and Leo."

"You want to split up?" Annabeth said in surprise. "Are you crazy?"

"We'll catch up to you guys!" Grover argued, shaking his head. "Besides, maybe if we spread out for a while, he'll have a harder time tracking us down." He looked over his shoulder toward the hunter, who was advancing on Reyna as she tried to drag Leo away from him. They were too far away for Annabeth to tell whether or not Leo was alright—or even alive—and she felt panic well up inside her.

"We're not going anywhere, Grover," Percy said adamantly. "The only chance we have at this is if we fight him together."

Grover rolled his eyes impatiently. "Yeah, because that's worked out great so far," he said sarcastically. "Percy—you and Hazel are hurt. You can't even fight right now!"

"So are Leo and Reyna!" Percy pointed out, a tone of desperation in his voice that clenched at Annabeth's heart and made her even more anxious.

"That's why they need me!" Grover argued. "Look, we'll meet up with you, okay? I promise. Just get out of here and get safe!"

"But… I…" Percy said helplessly, gaze shifting between Grover and the hunter.

Annabeth looked over at Hazel, who was standing beside Grover and biting her lip with a frown. She looked like she wanted to argue, but she saw the sense in what the satyr was saying. She fixed questioning eyes on Annabeth, who knew the decision would be hers to make.

"Grover, please—just _please_ be careful," Annabeth said, watching guiltily as Reyna blocked an attack from the hunter with her dagger.

"Annabeth, GO!" Grover yelled, before he turned away from them and sprinted back toward the others, pulling out his reed pipes as he went.

Annabeth let out a frustrated yell and with great difficulty, she turned away from her friends and ran into the trees, holding tight to Percy's arm to make sure he followed her. She saw Hazel beside her, weaving in and out of the darkness between the trees and still gripping her shoulder. She heard another gunshot and wanted desperately to turn back, but Grover had been right—if they stayed together, chances of them all getting caught or killed were higher. She just hoped he'd meant it when he'd promised to catch up to them. If she never saw Grover, Leo, and Reyna again, Annabeth didn't think she could ever forgive herself. But she had to trust them. They would make it. They had to.

Running through that thick forest was incredibly difficult, as Annabeth was quick to realize. One of them tripped and fell or collided with something in the darkness more times than she could count, and after a while she still felt as though they'd hardly travelled far at all. In no time Annabeth was covered in small cuts and bruises, her clothes torn and dirty from hitting the ground or from branches that grabbed at her as she ran past. She thought she heard something behind her once, but when she glanced over her shoulder there was nothing there, and she was rewarded for her paranoia with a nice bruise on the side of her face from running smack into the trunk of a tree.

Though she knew it only made running more difficult, Annabeth never let go of Percy's hand. She could feel how tired he was from his injury and knew that if she didn't hold on, chances were he'd fall behind and she'd never be able to find him again. Annabeth had already left three of her friends behind—she wouldn't add the boy she loved to that count no matter how many extra scratches and cuts it gave her.

As they ran, Annabeth kept shooting glances to her left whenever she could to make sure Hazel was still with them as well. A few times she lost sight of her in the dim lighting, but before she could make the decision whether or not to go back, Hazel would come back into view and Annabeth would turn her head and continue running.

One such time, however, when Hazel didn't reappear after a few long seconds, Annabeth began to panic. "Where's Hazel?" she asked breathlessly, shooting a glance at Percy and slowing her pace fractionally.

He ducked a nearby tree branch and scanned the shadows around them. "I don't know, she was right there," he replied, looking agitated and worried. Then his gaze turned forward and his eyes widened. "Annabeth, stop!" he shouted, stumbling a bit and pulling on her hand to slow her down.

Annabeth whipped her head around to see that just ahead of them, the ground suddenly sloped down into a steep hill. She dug her feet into the ground, but her momentum was too great, and instead of stopping she felt herself fall forward. Percy gripped her wrist with both hands, but it wasn't enough. With an alarmed yell, Annabeth tumbled over the sloped edge, dragging her boyfriend with her.

Immediately she felt Percy's hold on her hand disappear and in the confusion she lost sight of him altogether. Annabeth tried to grab onto a branch or a root or something to stop her, but she was rolling too fast down the hill. Miraculously, she didn't collide with any trees and instead tumbled head over feet between their trunks, trying to ignore the pain that shot through her limbs every time her skin scraped against something sharp. Then suddenly as the ground leveled out, the back of her head hit something hard and flat, and she saw stars before the darkness closed in around her.

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**Sorry for the nutty cliffhanger last chapter, but as many of you know, I love a good cliffhanger between chapters. Just wait 'til the one at the end of Chapter 15... Heh heh.**

**Anyway, I know this chapter was short, but the next one's more than twice this long. Review for me and I'll update sooner! Love ya all - later days!**

**-oMM**


	15. XV Annabeth

**Yo :) Hope everybody had a good weekend. Thanks to all for reading/reviewing, as always. This chapter's a good bit longer than the last one, and hopefully the little bit of fluff makes up for the cliffhanger at the end... Heh heh.**

**Enjoy!**

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**XV  
ANNABETH**

The slow sound of running water was the first thing Annabeth registered as her senses came back. There was a dull throbbing in the back of her head, but it was muted and didn't cause her too much discomfort. Her arms, legs, and back ached, but no bones felt broken. She opened her eyes slowly and tried not to scream as the evening's events came rushing back to her in a colorful blur.

A low _snap_ sounded just to her right and Annabeth turned her head sharply, wincing at the wave of dizziness that washed over her. When it cleared, she relaxed as her eyes landed on the hunched form of her boyfriend, who was sitting on a nearby rock and breaking sticks with the tip of his sword. She was about to call out to him when a female voice gasped and said, "Annabeth!"

Percy's gaze snapped onto Annabeth just as Hazel came into view, somehow looking worried and relieved at the same time. "You're okay," Annabeth muttered to Hazel, giving the other girl a small smile.

"Me?" Hazel said incredulously, shaking her head. "I'm the only one of us who didn't just roll eighty feet down a rocky hill, and _you're _worried about _me?_"

"Your shoulder," Annabeth recalled vaguely with a frown, noticing that Hazel didn't appear to be in any pain. "It was hurt, wasn't it?"

Hazel nodded. "Dislocated. Percy set it for me."

Annabeth glanced at her boyfriend, raising her eyebrows. "I didn't know you could do that," she said, mildly impressed.

Percy shrugged, kneeling beside Annabeth. "Some things you just pick up, being around battle so often. How you feeling?" he asked seriously, eyebrows knitted in concern. Annabeth smiled at his expression.

"Fine," she said, sitting up in an effort to prove that she was alright. She was glad when the minor dizziness faded almost instantly and the dull pain in her head subsided. She noticed that her small cuts and scrapes had been cleaned, and some of the larger ones bandaged. "What about you?"

Percy grinned. "Good as new," he answered, jerking his head toward something behind Annabeth. She shifted around to see that she'd been lying on a patch of soft dirt beside a forest stream about six feet wide. She breathed a sigh of relief, almost not believing that they'd actually been lucky enough to find water in this forest, as Percy added wryly, "Wish I could say the same for my shirt." Annabeth turned back to him as he twisted to the side with a scowl. The skin on his back had completely healed, but the back of his shirt had been shredded by the hellhound's attack. Annabeth laughed lightly.

"Any word from the others?" she asked after a minute, not seeing signs of anyone else around them.

Both of their faces fell instantly. "Nothing yet," Percy admitted, looking troubled. "It's been over an hour since we left them, but we didn't want to go anywhere until you were back on your feet." He shot an uneasy glance over his shoulder, and Annabeth saw that they weren't far from the base of the steep hill.

"They're okay, right?" Hazel said nervously, following Percy's gaze up the hill. "Grover said they'd follow us. So, they will, won't they? I mean, Leo couldn't have really… been…" Her voice trailed off weakly. As her eyes dropped to the ground, Annabeth thought she might have seen tears in them.

Annabeth wasn't sure what to say. When they'd left their friends with the hunter, things had looked bleak. Reyna's leg had been injured and she was having a difficult time holding their attacker off. Leo had likely been shot, and Annabeth still didn't know if he'd been alive when she'd last seen him. Grover was alright, but what he planned to do to get the three of them to safety, she had no idea.

After a moment of indecision, Annabeth decided that if they were going to get out of this, she had to trust her friends. She refused to believe that any of them were dead until she saw it with her own eyes, and worrying about it wouldn't do any good. She had to remain calm and level-headed. That was the only way.

"Listen, guys," she said firmly after a moment of silence. "Grover said he'd be alright, so we have to trust him. Right now, I think we should do what we can to find out more about this hunter—maybe where he came from or where he lives. If by chance he does have the others, that's where they'll be. It's going to be our best chance of finding them."

Hazel took a deep, steady breath and Percy nodded solemnly. "You're right," he told Annabeth. "There's gotta be some kind of clue or something around here that can tell us who this guy is. We stopped here because Grover sensed that the forest was in danger, so now that we're here we might as well try and do something about it."

"Plus Nico could still be here," Hazel added. "I'm sure this is the place from my dream, which means he must have run into that hunter somewhere along the line. We should try to find him, too."

"I agree," Annabeth said with a thoughtful nod. "Let's rest here for a little while longer, just in case Grover and the others did escape and are looking for us now. Then if nothing happens, we'll start moving."

-ψ-ψ-ψ-

For a long time, none of them spoke. Annabeth wasn't sure if this was good or bad—on the one hand, it would be harder for the hunter to find them with the absence of noise. But on the other, the same was true for their missing friends. And every second that passed without activity only proved to heighten Annabeth's anxiety.

As she stood leaning against the thick trunk of a tree, she tried to think of anything but her three friends and what might have happened to them. In an effort to keep herself distracted, she raised her head and looked up through the canopy of leaves above her. She could just barely see a single patch of sky, and noticed that it was colored a deep blue. It must be late evening, the sun almost set. A single star was visible between the trees, almost like a lookout.

Her eyes dropped somewhat sadly to their tiny clearing by the stream. Hazel was seated against the flat edge of a large rock, her sword on the ground just to her right and her fingers toying with a small, green gemstone. Her eyes were staring blankly at the ground, as though she was lost in thought. Annabeth wondered if she was thinking of her camp, and all the people that had disappeared.

Since last night, Reyna had acted just how Annabeth would expect someone who'd just lost everyone they cared about to act—obstinate, angry, frustrated, and hurt. Hazel, however, had been much quieter about the matter. Granted, Hazel had never been one to lash out, but it worried Annabeth that the other girl was keeping her feelings inside. She had to be going crazy, losing her brother, her boyfriend, and almost all of her friends in such a short span of time. Annabeth wanted to help her, but how could she, when she didn't know anything more than Hazel did?

With a frustrated sigh, Annabeth let her gaze travel to her left, where Percy was sitting beside the stream, staring into the slow-running water. She knew he was angry that they'd been forced to leave the others, but she also knew it had been the right decision. And he must have known it too, because he was still following her lead without much argument. After a quick second of indecision, Annabeth pushed herself away from her tree and walked toward the stream, sitting down beside Percy on the bank and leaning her arm against his.

"Hey," she said shortly.

"Hey," he replied. He gave her a small smile, though his eyes never left the water.

"…We're gonna find them, you know," Annabeth said confidently, hoping he knew she didn't only mean Grover, Leo, and Reyna, but also Nico and everyone from Camp Jupiter who had disappeared.

Percy gave a wry smile. "You really believe that?" he asked skeptically. He turned to look at her, and when she met his eyes she saw a sort of reluctant longing in them behind the doubt, like he wanted more than anything to believe she was right—like he was waiting for her to have the answers, just like she always did.

"Yes," she answered simply, holding his gaze. "I really do. I know you, Percy, and you know me just as well. You and me… we aren't just gonna give up on this. We've been through way too much to let something like this break us. I know we're gonna find them because… I know we won't stop looking until we do."

The genuine smile he gave her then almost made her heart melt. "Have I ever mentioned how amazing you are?" he asked, bumping her shoulder with his.

"You could always mention it more," Annabeth replied with feigned smugness.

"I'm serious," Percy argued. His gaze dropped from hers and he reached over to touch her hand, his rough fingers tracing circles on her skin. "Remember," he continued haltingly, "when we were in Tartarus…"

Annabeth felt her smile falter. No good sentence ever started with 'Remember when we were in Tartarus'.

"That time we got separated?" he went on. "We never really talked about it, but… those were the worst few hours of my life. Part of me wanted to just… give up, let some monster finish me off. It would have made things so much easier, you know? But I didn't, 'cause as lame as it sounds, I knew I had to get back to you. And not just because I was worried about you. More like… I was worried about _me_." Finally he raised his head and met Annabeth's gaze. She watched the reflection of the water play in his sea-green eyes, intensifying the emotion in the way he looked at her. "I never would have made it out of there without you," he finished quietly.

Annabeth wanted to smile, but her mind was filling with flashbacks of the time he was talking about. The deepest pit of the Underworld had been bad enough with Percy by her side—facing it without him had been unbearable. He was right, they'd never talked about what had happened during those few short hours, mostly because neither one of them wanted to remember it. "It was the same for me, you know," she finally said solemnly. "At first I was mad at you for falling with me. I didn't want you to suffer the same fate. But then when you weren't there, I got a taste of what it was like to face that place alone. And… as bad as it sounds, I was glad you were there to suffer it, too." Annabeth swallowed hard, trying to fight the lump that was forming in her throat. "It meant that… I wasn't alone. I realized that I… I don't want to imagine living without you. Not ever again." Finally she managed a weak smile, and the grin Percy gave her helped relax her nerves. "Guess we make a pretty good team, huh?" she pointed out lightly.

Percy leaned his forehead against Annabeth's. "The best," he agreed. Her smile widened and she was about to lean up and kiss him when suddenly he frowned and turned his head away, looking at something far off to his right.

"What?" Annabeth whispered, instantly alert.

Percy turned back to face her. "I thought I heard…" As he trailed off, a soft rustling sound came from the shadows in the direction he'd been looking, and both of them tensed. They exchanged a glance before rising slowly and silently to their feet, eyes trained toward the sound. "Could be Grover," Percy suggested, his voice so low Annabeth almost didn't hear.

"Or the hunter," she replied just as quietly. She glanced toward Hazel to see her also climbing up from the ground, watching the shadows between two trees. Hazel glanced at Annabeth and nodded, showing that she too had heard the sound and understood.

Percy drew Riptide from his pocket, keeping the pen capped, and spread his arm to the side, telling Annabeth to stay still. As the rustling repeated, he stepped slowly forward, taking care not to tread on any small, breakable sticks. Suddenly one of the shadows moved, and in one swift motion Percy uncapped his sword and swung it outward, its dull bronze glow illuminating the darkness around them.

"Hey, whoa!" a voice shouted in alarm as Riptide's blade froze half an inch from the throat of a very surprised teenage boy. Annabeth could have sworn her heart almost stopped as she recognized the familiar head of messy, black hair and pale skin.

Percy lowered Riptide. "_Nico?_" he said in disbelief.

Hazel gasped and dropped her sword with a _thud_. "Oh, thank the gods—you're alive!" she exclaimed, rushing forward and throwing herself on her half-brother, flinging her arms around him tightly. Annabeth let out a shaky breath of awed relief, feeling almost giddy that something had _finally_ gone right.

But when Nico put his hands on Hazel's shoulders and carefully pushed her away from him, fixing her with a bewildered frown, Annabeth felt her stomach twist uncomfortably. Something was wrong.

"Who _are_ you guys?" Nico asked sharply, turning confused eyes between Hazel, Percy, and Annabeth. "And… what's 'Nico'?"

* * *

**I love a good cliffhanger ;) I'm on like some kind of spree here... The thing that makes this one bad, though, is that if you remember, we cut to Jason for the next three chapters, so this storyline gets put on the backburner. Heh heh. Whoops.**

**Anyway, drop me a review - even if it's just to yell at me, haha. I love hearing from you guys :)**

**Later days!**

**-oMM**


	16. XVI Jason

**Heya :) I know that last cliffie was a doozie, so I'm updating a bit sooner. Besides, it's about time we catch up with Camp Jupiter, don't you think? Wonder what they've been up to since they all disappeared...**

**Enjoy!**

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**XVI  
JASON**

It was official: Jason would never go to another beach for the rest of his life. In that one short day, he'd had enough of sand to last him a lifetime.

Not to mention the boiling heat. Sure, he was used to California summers, which were often at least eighty degrees before noon. But the temperature here put that to shame. He couldn't even see the sun through the clouds way above his head, and it still had to be at least a hundred degrees. The air wasn't thick and humid, like most southern states, which he probably should have been thankful for. And maybe he would have been, if he stopped to think about it. But as it was, Jason had way too much else on his mind.

Like the fact that someone had decided to relocate the entire city of New Rome, for example.

It had been the strangest experience of Jason's life—which was saying something, as he hadn't exactly led the most normal of lifestyles. One second, he'd been alongside Piper, fighting off a group of skeleton warriors, and the next, there was some kind of earthquake and everything got dark. And not just usual nighttime-starlit-sun-down dark, but _real_ dark—pitch black. He couldn't see anything, not even his own body. Then when the darkness had faded, every monster had disappeared and they were stuck in the middle of a desert.

Well, he wasn't sure if it was actually a desert. More like a sandy valley of some sort. The first thing he'd noticed was the heat—even though it was still the middle of the night, it was probably about eighty or eighty-five degrees. Everyone around Jason lowered their weapons in confusion and looked around at each other, suddenly having nothing to fight against.

"What just happened?" Piper asked warily, still holding her dagger at the ready and glancing around them. "Where'd they all go?" She stepped closer to Jason and said in an undertone, "You don't think this was some kind of trap, do you?"

Jason didn't answer. To be honest, that was exactly what he was thinking. Why else would their attackers just disappear like that? He exchanged a glance with Piper before turning and running down the main road, with her following closely behind.

When the edge of the city was just within view, Jason almost tripped and fell over in shock. Beyond the Pomerian Line, he should have been able to see the grassy hill that led up toward the camp barracks in one direction and the Field of Mars in another. Instead, he was met with the sight of a steep incline covered in sand. Far above them, small clusters of short, spiny plants with thin leaves dotted the crest of the hill, and patches of rock rested along the incline, breaking up the sand.

Jason opened his mouth to comment, but at that second, he ran smack into an invisible wall. He stumbled backward, rubbing his forehead as pain shot through it and biting back a curse.

"What happened?" Piper asked as she ground to a halt beside him.

Jason reached out a hand tentatively and his fingers were stopped by a wall he couldn't see. He pressed his palm flat against the cool, invisible surface. "I don't know," he replied. "Some kind of barrier."

Piper stepped forward and tested the barrier herself, before looking through it toward the sandy hill. "I don't think we're in Kansas anymore," she said grimly.

Jason looked to his left and almost leapt out of his skin. Standing beside him was one of the black obsidian pillars that had begun a slow invasion of their camp for the past two weeks. It looked just the same as they all did—tall, unmoving, silent. Somehow the sight of it offended him, almost like it was laughing at him. Jason glared at it in response.

"Look," Piper said suddenly. She started walking toward the nearest pillar, running her hand along the invisible barrier until the two seemed to touch. "I think this barrier is connecting the pillars," she guessed with a frown, glancing in the other direction toward a second pillar. "It probably runs all around the city."

Jason dropped his sword on the ground, raising his head toward the starry sky. "See if you can find Reyna," he told Piper. "I'm gonna go scout this place out." She nodded and turned back toward the city. Jason spread his arms and willed the air to move around him, propelling him upward into the sky as fast as he dared. As he rose over the city, he realized with a confused jolt that the pillars had grown—fourteen still encircled them, but now the columns were at least fifty feet tall and stretched above even the highest buildings in New Rome. He was just thinking of flying over and examining one when the top of his head collided with yet another invisible wall—this time, one that stretched horizontally and connected the tops of the pillars like a roof. Jason bit his tongue hard and tasted blood in his mouth. This time he cursed out loud and brought both hands to his head, squeezing his eyes shut as his skull throbbed painfully.

When the red spots had cleared from his vision, Jason allowed himself to hover in midair as he inspected the ground below him. From what he could see, the city was in chaos—which made sense, considering what had just happened. All around, people were yelling at each other and trying to escape, only to realize that they were trapped by an invisible barrier.

Looking around beyond the city limits, Jason could finally see that they were in the middle of a deep valley covered in sand. The walls of the valley rose scores of feet above him on either side, and he could barely make out the top through the darkness. At the base of the hill, maybe thirty or forty yards from the city, a series of strange shapes stood sentinel in a ring. Jason squinted through the darkness at the nearest one, trying to make out what it was. The shape was almost humanoid, except for the thick, giant snake-like appendages it had instead of legs. And then he realized that the appendages really _were_ snakes, and he almost fell out of the sky. It was a Scythian dracaena.

The creature was facing away from the city, which was perfectly fine with Jason. As far as he could tell, its only job was to stand guard in that exact spot. He looked at the next sentinel to its right—a Laistrygonian giant. Beside that, another of the same creature just a bit shorter than its brother. The next monster in line might have been a Cyclops, but from behind it was rather difficult to be sure.

Jason swallowed hard, wondering who had set this ragtag monster guard around the city. He glanced up at the sky above him and noticed what looked like a pair of buzzards circling overhead—until he realized that they were far too big to be buzzards. On top of that, they had no feathers, and their wings were black and leathery, like bat's wings. Their talons looked large enough to close around Jason's chest.

_Jeez…_ he thought. _Whoever did this sure didn't spare any expense._

When the shouting from the city below broke through Jason's thoughts, he realized that priority number one was getting everyone to calm down and making sure they were all okay. He tore his gaze from the two bird-like watchers and glided back down to the city, landing outside the Coliseum.

"Jason!" someone called. Jason spun around until he noticed Dakota and Frank pushing through the crowd. "Man, where have you _been?_" Dakota continued, eyes wide and wild. "The city's going nuts here. Did the monsters really just disappear?"

"Looks that way," Jason replied, eyes scanning the crowd. "The whole city got moved somewhere—still haven't quite figured that part out yet. Is everybody okay?"

"We've been trying to keep the citizens from freaking out, but, well…" Frank explained, rubbing the back of his neck, "it's tough when most of the Legion's just as confused as they are. I don't think anyone's hurt, but… things are so crazy right now, it's kind of hard to tell."

Jason sighed heavily, his mind racing. "Okay," he told them, "I need you guys to—"

"_There_ you are!" another voice shouted over the din, and Jason spun around to see Octavian stalking toward him, wearing half his Roman battle armor and a thoroughly annoyed expression. "Anyone care to explain _what_ is going on here?" Jason clenched his jaw tightly in an effort to keep from rolling his eyes. _Trust me_, he thought bitterly, _when I figure it out, you'll be the first to know_. "First our attackers vanish into thin air, then we get transported somewhere that _clearly_ is not San Francisco, you disappear for a while, Reyna is nowhere to be found—"

"Reyna's not here?" Jason interrupted. That could be a problem. He'd been counting on her help in taking control of the situation.

Octavian threw up his arms. "We could be missing half the Legion, for all I know!" he replied. "_Someone_ had better take charge of this mess and figure out what happened. Now, I think—"

"I know," Jason cut him off again firmly, turning back to Dakota and Frank. "Dakota. Gather one centurion from every Cohort and do a head count. Find out who's here, who's missing, who's hurt—I want a full-scale status report, got it?"

"You got it, boss," Dakota said at once. He spun around and disappeared back into the crowd.

"Frank," Jason went on. "Find as many Lares as you can and get them to help calm the people of New Rome. Take them back to their homes, gather them in the Forum—I don't care. Just keep them all together, and keep them all safe. Once you pass on the message, meet me at the Senate House." Frank nodded obediently and left.

Finally, Jason turned to Octavian, who was watching him with a passive expression. "We're calling a Senate meeting," Jason said. "Fifteen minutes. You and I are gonna spread the word."

"Right," Octavian said shortly, showing Jason that he had no objections to this plan. They both nodded to each other before departing in opposite directions, Jason hoping desperately that he could think of something to tell the people who would be looking to him for answers.

If only he had the answers to give them.

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**Originally this and the next chapter were combined, but I had to split them for spacing purposes. Keeping the same POV character pattern is HARD.**

**Anyway, that wasn't very eventful, so I might put the next one up tomorrow or Friday if you guys are nice to me and drop me a review :) Later days!**

**-oMM**


	17. XVII Jason

**Hi everyone! Okay, I had every intention of updating this last Friday, but I had to take a surprise trip to the dentist for a root canal and ended up calling off work, and everything I have written for this story is saved on my work computer. Then of course was the weekend, when I don't work, so today was the first chance I got. I'm making a mental note right now to email all the finished chapters to my home address so I can actually potentially update when I'm not at work :P heh heh.**

**Anyway, I'm going away later this week (New York Comic Con this weekend! Anybody else going?), so I'll probably post another chapter Wednesday since Chapter 18 is cliffhanger-free, then we'll pick back up with Hazel next week.**

**Now that that's said, enjoy this sort-of-short update!**

* * *

**XVII  
JASON**

It took longer than it should have to gather the necessary people in the Senate House for an emergency meeting. When Jason arrived, a group of elderly ghosts were already seated in the stands, complaining to each other about the ruckus the kids were causing outside. Once most of the Senate was present and accounted for (minus the centurions Jason had sent for a status report), everyone started talking at once.

"What is this place?"

"How did we get here?"

"Why's it so hot here?"

"Is this some kind of trick?"

"Where's Reyna?"

"What do we do now?"

"QUIET!" Jason yelled, effectively getting everyone's attention. "Look, I know this is all a bit confusing. And by 'a bit', I obviously mean we're all freaked out of our minds. But we're not gonna figure this out by running around like headless chickens. Whoever planned this attack did it carefully and thoughtfully—which is exactly how we're gonna go about fighting back. So I need all of you to do your best to stay calm and work with each other."

There were a few murmured comments, but the arguing seemed to stop, so Jason took that as a good sign. He was about to recount what he'd learned of their new location earlier when the remaining five centurions entered the room.

"What did you guys learn?" Jason asked them at once.

Hank, one of the centurions of the Third Cohort, stepped forward. "We've had some injuries, but nothing serious. Just about everybody seems to be in order."

Jason frowned. "'Just about'?" he repeated.

Hank shot a hesitant glance at Dakota, whose jaw tightened as he explained, "Hazel Levesque is missing."

Jason heard a gasp from somewhere in the front row and noticed Frank throw a hand over his mouth, his eyes wide. Jason swallowed hard, a lump forming in his throat. So Hazel and Reyna weren't in the city. Did that mean they were still back in San Francisco, with whatever was left of the camp? Were they even safe at all?

"What about our visitors from Camp Half-Blood?" Jason finally asked, his voice rough and gravelly as he tried to hide his worry. "Percy, Leo, Annabeth, Grover. What happened to them?"

"We don't know," Dakota answered. "Piper's here—she's outside—but as for the rest of them, we couldn't find them anywhere."

_Hopefully that means they got away before this happened…_ Jason thought, glancing down at the ground. "Thank you guys," he told the centurions without lifting his head. "You can take your seats."

Finally, Jason took the opportunity to tell them all what he'd seen outside the city—about the low valley they'd been moved to and their shiny new monster security system. A lot of people were worried about the guard, but the biggest question was clear: How did someone relocate an entire city and everything in it? Who had the power to do something like that—and more importantly, for what purpose?

It was one of the roughest Senate meetings Jason had ever been a part of. Everyone had a different idea, and none of them were particularly good. Jason was rapidly losing the ability to think through his headache by the time Octavian had suggested they elect an acting second praetor in Reyna's absence, and for a minute he almost agreed. Then he realized that it would undoubtedly end up being Octavian himself, and that if Jason ever wanted to get rid of said headache, then the last thing he needed was to work more closely with the outspoken augur.

By the time the meeting ended, it was almost four in the morning, and Jason was thoroughly exhausted. In retrospect, that was probably a good thing, because there was so much on his mind that he probably wouldn't have been able to get any sleep otherwise. Even so, he wasn't able to rest for long, and was up again only a few hours later.

The chaos from the previous night had died down a bit, but the daytime heat caused a whole different sort of general displeasure. A lot of people Jason came across were acting irritable, which worried him. With frustrations so high, chances of someone getting on someone else's nerves were just as high, and the last thing he wanted was for a fight to break out. It was hard enough getting some semblance of control over the Legion once—he wasn't sure if he could do it again.

Jason took some time that morning to try and get a better look at their new location, only to learn nothing incredibly fascinating. He was rapidly getting sick of the sight of sand and the clear, hot air around them. Their monster guard didn't seem affected by it, though. They all stood their ground and guarded their positions, some facing toward the city, some facing away. They shifted on the spot every now and then, but they didn't leave. It was actually sort of eerie.

He spent most of the day making rounds throughout the city and taking in the general state of things. A lot of the Lares had led most of the citizens back to their homes and were working as a sort of personal guard for the families. The rest of the Legion was milling about the city, inspecting the pillars and barrier, watching the creature sentinels, or just going about their daily business. The city itself was in decent shape, though a lot of smaller structures had suffered some damage from the attack last night. They'd have some work to do fixing up the place, and for now they were stuck inside the border, but it could always be worse. At least whoever was responsible for the move had somehow managed to provide them with running water. Jason would have hated to add "faulty plumbing" to his growing list of problems.

Late in the day, he finally ran into Piper. She was sitting at an outdoor table at a diner in the Forum, staring intently at the blade of her dagger, Katoptris.

"Anything good on the psychic channel?" Jason asked her, dropping heavily into the chair across the table with an exhausted sigh.

Piper frowned and cocked her head to the side, not looking up from the blade. "Not really," she admitted, sounding frustrated. "All I can see is a bunch of black shapes. It's like looking through really dark sunglasses at night." She sighed and set the dagger down on the table. When she looked up at Jason, she blinked in surprise. "You look terrible," she told him flatly, studying him with sympathy.

Jason scowled, knowing she was probably right. "Yeah? Well you look…" His voice trailed off as he looked her over. She was dressed in a thin, blue tank top and denim shorts that had been cut much shorter than she typically wore them, presumably due to the heat. Her choppy hair was pulled back from her face and small beads of sweat dripped down the skin on her neck and collar bone, making it glisten in the light.

Jason tried not to stare. Her blush told him he'd failed.

"A-Anyway," Jason backtracked awkwardly, averting his eyes and suddenly feeling even warmer than he had a few seconds ago, "I think things have mostly quieted down, but I don't know for how long. We've got to figure this out fast."

"I hope the others are okay…" Piper said absently, resting her chin in her hand and looking worried.

Jason gave a wry smile. "They're probably thinking the same thing about us," he pointed out.

"Jason! Jason!"

Jason was seriously considering changing his name before he recognized the voice calling it. Instantly alert, he spun around in his chair and almost fell out of it at the sight of Frank Zhang stumbling toward them, a hand over his face and his mouth covered in blood.

"What the heck happened to you?" Piper demanded, rising from her chair and looking concerned.

Frank staggered to a halt beside their table and removed the hand from his face, showing off an impressive bruise across his nose, which appeared to be the source of the blood. "There's a fight," he said thickly. He spat a mouthful of blood (and what looked like a broken tooth) onto the ground and went on, "At the Senate House—Dakota and me, we tried to stop them, but—people are going nuts. We need your help!"

Jason cursed under his breath, climbing to his feet so fast his chair fell over and skidded across the patio. This had been exactly what he was afraid of. Some of the legionnaires were already notoriously belligerent, and the heat and general situation couldn't have been helping their tempers. It had only been a matter of time.

He glanced at Piper, about to ask her to come along and help talk to them, and she nodded as though reading his mind. Her charmspeak just might be the edge he needed to calm everyone down.

With a steely glare, Jason turned to Frank and said, "Lead the way."

* * *

**Oh dear. Poor Frank :( haha. Short, I know, and I'm sorry, considering the wait was a bit on the long side. Look for an update probably Wednesday :)**

**(Side-note, House of Hades releases tomorrow! I'm like half-re-reading all the other books today between my work to get myself psyched up, hahaha)**

**Later days!**

**-oMM**


	18. XVIII Jason

**Yo :) As promised, here's Chapter 18 right on schedule. Like I said, I'm going away tomorrow through Monday, so there probably won't be another update until next Tuesday. But mercifully, this chapter isn't one of my many cliffhangers, so at least there's that.**

**Thanks everybody for reading/reviewing/favoriting/following/etc. Love you all! Enjoy!**

* * *

**XVIII  
JASON**

Frank hadn't been lying – people were going nuts. Outside the Senate House, a good chuck of the Legion was involved in an all-out brawl. Most of them weren't using any weapons, and the ones that were didn't seem to be aiming to kill, but even so Jason felt his gut tighten in dread. Hardly anyone was wearing armor, given the increased heat. If they didn't stop this, something could go very wrong.

From the look of things, it was mostly First, Second, and Fifth Cohort legionnaires. Aside from Frank, Jason could see two other centurions—Melina of the First Cohort and Larry of the Second. Far from trying to stop the fight, the two of them seemed to be making things worse.

Jason dodged someone falling backward and grabbed Melina by the arm, yanking her away from a Second Cohort legionnaire whom she'd just kicked in the stomach. "What the heck are you _doing?_" Jason demanded, shouting over the noise.

Melina—a third-generation legacy of Mars with bronze skin, thick, dark brown hair, and hazel eyes—scowled at him. "What am _I _doing?" she shot back. "What are _you_ doing, Jason? Oh, that's right, I forgot—_nothing!_" She tore her arm away and shoved Jason hard, sending him crashing backward into another person. "You're content to just sit around on your tail until someone comes and finishes us off! Well I'm not going out like that!" She swung her fist at Jason's head, but he ducked just in time. With a frustrated growl, he kicked her feet out from under her, knocking her to the ground.

Jason spun around as Piper and Frank appeared behind him. "We've got to calm these people down," he told them.

"Tried that," Frank pointed out, wiping some of the blood from his nose with the back of his hand. "Easier said than done."

"Maybe I'll have better luck," Piper suggested. She turned away from them just as someone fell sideways and knocked into her, dragging her to the ground with a surprised yelp. When the person rolled to the side and groaned, Jason noticed that it was Dakota.

"Sorry, Piper," Dakota said, climbing to his feet and pulling Piper up after him. He had a black eye and a dark bruise on his left cheek, but all things considered he looked a good deal better than the other Fifth Cohort centurion, whose broken nose was still bleeding profusely into his mouth. "Some of us are trying to stop this, but as you can see, it isn't exactly going well."

"How'd the fight start?" Jason asked, dodging two legionnaires who were moving his way.

"They were arguing about you, actually," Dakota admitted with a half-shrug, eyeing Jason carefully.

Jason blinked in surprise. "Me?"

"Yeah. A bunch of people wanted to try and find a way to break out of here, but some others said we should wait for you to come up with a plan. Then Melina started complaining how it wasn't right for Romans like us to just sit and wait, and that you aren't really a Roman anymore, and all that. When the fighting started, Frank stood up for you, saying how you've never let us down before, and that's when someone hit him in the face with the hilt of a sword. Then it just got worse. I sent him to go find you, hoping maybe you could say something to sort of placate them."

Jason shot Frank a grateful smile, and Frank shrugged uncomfortably and glanced at the ground.

Suddenly Jason heard the _clang_ of metal against metal, and he glanced toward the crowd anxiously. "We've got to stop this _now_," he said adamantly, "before things get any worse. Piper, try to find the ones who are the angriest and see if you can talk them down. And be careful. The rest of you, get the other centurions and—"

"Oh, _now_ you want to give orders?" someone shrieked from behind Jason. He spun around just in time to be slugged across the jaw by Melina, who had just knocked aside two other legionnaires. Jason staggered backward and Piper grabbed his arm to keep him from falling. "Too late for that, Jason," Melina said bitingly, glaring at him. She drew a knife from her belt and flipped it in her hand. Jason eyed the blade warily and took a step back, reflexively extending his arm and pushing Piper backward. "We're getting out of this place, with or without you."

Melina darted forward and Jason pulled himself and Piper to the side to dodge her strike. "Melina, stop it! Put the knife down!" Piper said firmly, magic in her voice. Melina hesitated for a second, but then she blinked and shook her head and suddenly the glare was back on her face.

"Nobody traps Romans like this!" she yelled. "If Reyna were here—"

"Well, Reyna _isn't_ here!" Jason interrupted, electricity sparking on his fingertips. "Which means that for now, I'm in charge—whether you agree with me or not. I'd _like_ to have your help, but if you'd rather cause trouble, you're not gonna leave me much choice. I'll have to lock you up."

Melina's eyes darkened. "Are you threatening me?"

"I'm not the one holding the knife," Jason pointed out.

"That's my point!" Melina retorted. "We should be _fighting back!_" She charged forward again, gripping her knife tightly in one hand. _Fine,_ Jason thought quickly, not having much time or space to get out of the way. _You want a fight? I'll give you a fight._ He felt a surge of lightning race up his arm and was about to release it when suddenly Dakota tackled Melina from the side, knocking her to the ground.

Piper smacked Jason on the shoulder. "I thought we were here to _stop_ the fight," she said pointedly, "not _join_ it." Jason looked at her, suddenly regretting what he'd almost done. The electricity sparking down his arm faded.

Melina growled in frustration, glaring at Dakota as they both climbed to their feet. "You think this is over?" she said in a low voice. She leapt toward Dakota, who cried, "Hey, hold on!" in surprise as he ducked under a wild swing of her knife. She kicked him hard in the shin and he stepped back unsteadily, just as someone else backed into him from behind. As he stumbled toward Melina, she thrust both her arms out reflexively—and buried the blade of her knife in Dakota's stomach.

Piper gasped and gripped Jason's arm, and he felt like he'd been punched in the gut with a wrecking ball. He _knew_ something terrible was going to happen. He should have tried harder to stop the fight before things went so far. And now he wasn't the only one paying for it.

Dakota's eyes widened as he staggered backward, doubling over with a choked grunt. Melina stood frozen, staring at her dagger and looking stunned. "I-I didn't…" she stammered. "I mean, that was…"

Tears in her eyes, Piper took a step forward and screamed, "STOP FIGHTING!" This time, her charmspeak seemed to work. Everybody stood up straight and blinked at each other, looking dazed. The closest ones looked around and saw what had happened, frightened looks appearing on their faces.

Jason and Frank rushed to Dakota's side as he reached up and yanked the knife free, dropping it to the ground. He gritted his teeth and pressed a hand over the open wound as blood started to soak his shirt. His knees buckled and he almost lost his balance, but Frank gripped his arm and hung it around his neck.

"Hospital," Jason said, his mind moving too fast for his mouth to keep up. "Now." If they could get Dakota medical attention immediately, he might be okay. Jason glanced toward the stunned onlookers. "Somebody help me!" he yelled harshly. This seemed to shake a few of them out of their stupor, and a pair of Fifth Cohort legionnaires hurried forward. "You should go, too, Frank," Jason said numbly. "Get, uh… Get your nose fixed up." Frank nodded wordlessly as one of the others grabbed Dakota's free arm to help support him. The second began clearing a path through the crowd, leading the way as all four hurried toward New Rome's hospital.

"Larry, Pete," Jason addressed the two Second Cohort centurions that had pushed through the rioters to see what was going on. "Take Melina to an empty house and stand guard until I can find something permanent. She's on house arrest—do _not_ let her leave." They glanced incredulously at Melina, but followed Jason's orders without question. Melina went along obediently.

"Everyone else, please go back to your normal activities," Piper said, her voice loud and controlled despite the anxiety on her face. "And _no more fighting._ We'll figure this out. I promise." She glanced at Jason, forcing a small, hopeful smile. He wished he could return it, but he was still too shocked and angry that he'd let something like this happen.

"Go on," Jason told Piper as the crowd began to disperse, the shouting reduced to harsh whispers. "I'll meet up with you later." Piper frowned and studied Jason worriedly for a long second. Then she gave a slow nod of understanding. She leaned up and kissed his cheek, squeezing his hand briefly, before turning and striding back toward the Forum.

"This has gone far enough, Jason."

Jason didn't even look as Octavian came to stand beside him. He just continued to stare off in the direction that Frank and Dakota had disappeared.

"Something has to be done," Octavian went on. "The Legion can't take much more of this."

Jason's jaw tightened. "You're right," he admitted flatly. "It's only been a day, and already things have gotten out of hand. It's time we fight back." One of his friends had already been hurt because he'd been too slow to act. It would _not_ be happening again.

Octavian smiled. "The legionnaires will be glad to hear that."

Jason's eyes flashed as he looked sharply at the augur. "No," he said firmly. "They won't _be_ hearing it. Not yet. Not until the time is right."

"Of course," Octavian said shortly, raising his eyebrows. "You're the praetor."

Jason wasn't sure he liked the way that sounded, but he bit his tongue to keep from firing a retort. From now on, his top priority would be to keep everyone as calm as he could, and fighting with Octavian wasn't the way to go about doing that. He needed to come up with a plan for escaping their entrapment—or at the very least, discovering who was behind it. But for that to work, they would have to be careful. He knew now how out of sorts the Legion was, and the last thing he wanted was to take them to battle in their current state.

The Twelfth Legion was under his command—and right now, it needed him more than ever. And there was no way Jason would let his friends down again.

* * *

**Man, the Fifth Cohort centurions can't cut a break, can they?**

**Back with Hazel next week, and maybe time to find out what's up with Nico, huh? Drop me a review on your way out! Later days!**

**-oMM**


	19. XIX Hazel

**Yo :) Back from my vacation and ready to move along with this story. Before we go any further, though, there's an important point I have to make:**

**_CONCERNING HOUSE OF HADES (this note is SPOILER-FREE, btw)_: As many of you I'm sure have also done, I recently finished reading House of Hades and unfortunately, it forced me to place a "Semi-AU" tag onto this story. Some of the events in the book interfere with my timeline, and therefore I have to ask you guys to read this as though HoH didn't happen, given that I wrote my entire outline before it was released. I added a note to the first chapter stating this as well. Any details/revelations about the characters are okay to keep canon, but the physical events that happened in the book did NOT happen in this story, okay? Confusing, I know. Feel free to message me with any specific questions. Reasons will become clear later on. Thanks, guys!**

**Okay, now that that's done, this chapter's pretty short and uneventful. I'll probably throw the next one up later today, or maybe tomorrow, since it's a lot more interesting. Still, this one's a fun kind of break from the action, haha.**

**Enjoy! And thanks everybody for the support!**

* * *

**XIX  
HAZEL**

The last time Hazel had seen her half-brother Nico in person was the night she'd danced with a faun.

It had been two days before he'd left on his mission for their father, at Frank's seventeenth birthday party. Nico wasn't really one for parties (though to be fair, neither was Frank), but Hazel had insisted he come and try to have some fun anyhow. He'd been acting even more serious and sullen since the end of the Giant War, and as his sister, all she wanted was to see him enjoy himself—maybe even smile. That was her mission on the night of the party.

Unfortunately, she made the mistake of mentioning it to Don the Faun and a few of his friends, who decided it was their duty to help her out. And thus, Operation: Make Creepy Death-Kid Smile was born.

It was probably one of the funniest nights of Hazel's life. The fauns were all over Nico, trying any manner of things to get him to smile or laugh. Some brought him flowers, some told lame jokes, and some even acted out strange, clown-like moves such as purposely tripping over stones or hitting each other in the face with pies and rotten vegetables (and then proceeding to beg donations from anyone who _did_ happen to chuckle). Nico was completely baffled as to why he was receiving so much attention, which somehow made the whole situation funnier.

"Are they making fun of me for something?" Nico had asked Hazel in an undertone after two fauns had just played out an elaborate scene in which one stepped on the other's favorite flower and as punishment was dunked into a tub of Kool-Aid.

"Of course not," Hazel insisted. "You just haven't visited in a while—they must have missed you."

"Shouldn't they be bugging Frank?" Nico suggested, sounding vaguely annoyed. "It's _his_ party."

Hazel sighed shortly, leaning back against the table behind her and tapping her fingers absently in time with the music coming from near the fountain. They'd set up in the central square in the Forum of New Rome, where there was plenty of space for tables of food and large groups of people (and, incidentally, where they couldn't see any of the black pillars that had begun to ring the city; Hazel found it easier to relax when they weren't directly in her line of vision). "Maybe that's because _he's_ already having fun, while you're sitting over here sulking."

Nico quirked an eyebrow, crossing his arms over his black T-shirt. "I'm not _sulking_," he argued. "I'm just… not all that into parties." His eyes dropped to the ground and he frowned, looking distracted.

"Is something wrong?" Hazel asked, concerned.

Nico hesitated. "Have you talked to Father lately?" he asked carefully.

Hazel shook her head. "You know I can't do that," she said. She wasn't supposed to be alive, after all. If Pluto were to acknowledge the fact that she was, it could create a problem that she didn't exactly like the solution to.

"Right," Nico said absently. "It's just—apparently something's going on in the Underworld. He didn't tell me much, but… he wants me to look into it."

Hazel fell silent, studying the look in her brother's eyes. Clearly this was more important than he was letting on. "When?" she asked.

"As soon as possible," he answered. "Probably a day or two from now. I don't know how long I'll be gone."

"Just… promise me you'll be careful, okay?" Hazel pleaded, knowing her brother's knack for getting himself into trouble. It wasn't that he went looking for it, or that he couldn't handle himself. Trouble always just sort of… found him.

Nico looked over at Hazel and opened his mouth to speak when the music suddenly got louder.

"I love this song!" Don the Faun shouted excitedly. His eyes landed on Hazel and Nico and he grinned, almost making Hazel fear for her life. "Come on, let's dance!" he said, grabbing Hazel by the arm and dragging her out into the square beside the fountain. She barely caught the amused look on Nico's face before Don pulled her into a strange, nonsensical sort of dance that involved a lot of spinning and clapping. Hazel tried to dodge around him, but her luck failed her. She could barely hear her own voice over the music. On her third escape attempt, Don grabbed her hand and spun her back toward him so fast she completely lost her balance. She felt her legs hit the side of the fountain, and the next thing she knew, she'd fallen into the water with a loud _splash._

Someone finally turned down the music and all around Hazel could hear applause and laughter. She sat up and shook the water out of her hair with a smile, embarrassed but knowing the faun hadn't meant any harm. One voice was louder and closer than the rest, and Hazel looked up, expecting to see Don. Instead, standing beside the fountain looking down at her was Nico, and he was laughing hysterically.

"Operation: success!" Don cheered, clapping his hands and jumping in a circle. So he'd been able to do it, after all. Hazel supposed she would have to thank him for joining in on her mission.

"That was the most graceful thing I've ever seen," Nico said appreciatively, reaching out a hand to help Hazel out of the fountain. "Frank is gonna be so mad he missed it."

_He might be, but I'm sure not,_ Hazel thought, glad her boyfriend had somehow managed to miss her show. She gripped Nico's hand, but hesitated when a thought hit her. "You want graceful?" she asked innocently. "I think it runs in the family." She reached up with her other hand and gripped her brother's wrist, using both arms to pull him forward over the edge of the fountain. His eyes widened as he tried to keep his balance, but she had the advantage of leverage, and soon enough a second _splash_ sounded as he tumbled head-first into the water.

Hazel laughed as Nico pushed himself onto his hands and knees, spitting out a mouthful of water. He shook the wet hair out of his eyes and turned to glare at Hazel, who didn't even bother to stifle her laughter.

"You know, when I first pulled you out of the Underworld, you never would've done something like that," Nico pointed out with a smirk. "So why now?"

Hazel smiled. "Because you're my brother, and I love you," she replied matter-of-factly. She meant that when she'd first come back in this new time, she hadn't felt comfortable—like she belonged. But the more time she spent there, the more she got to know the people around her, and the easier it got to relax around them. At first, her relationship with Nico had been strained. She knew he'd had another sister before her, and that she herself couldn't ever replace Bianca. But over time, Nico seemed to grow more comfortable around Hazel just as she did with him, and their sibling bond got stronger because of it. Hazel couldn't say all that, but judging by the easy smile on Nico's face, he understood.

"I'd hate to see what you'd do if you hated me," he said wryly, climbing out of the fountain and once again offering her a hand. This time she took it, allowing herself to be pulled from the fountain as well. Once they were safe on dry land, Hazel put her hands on Nico's wet shoulders and pulled him into a tight hug. He hesitated only a second before returning it.

"Please be careful," she said again, her voice growing quiet and serious.

"Don't worry," Nico promised just as seriously. "I'll be fine."

Looking back, Hazel should have told him not to go. She should have locked him up and thrown away the key, so that trouble wouldn't be able to find him no matter how hard it tried.

But she hadn't, and now he didn't even remember who she was.

* * *

**Short and unexciting, I know, but I wanted a nice little side-step to focus a bit on Hazel and Nico's relationship and how it's evolved since the series. I like to think that Hazel has opened up a bit in the almost-year since the Giant War, and that she and Nico feel close to each other.**

**Anyway, like I said, next chapter should be up sooner rather than later. So review for me in the meantime!**

**Later days!**

**-oMM**


	20. XX Hazel

**Hi again! We're back after that short little break in the plot, haha. Thanks to everybody for reading :)**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**XX  
HAZEL**

"W… What?" Hazel stuttered blankly, Nico's words throwing her far off-balance. "You… don't recognize us?"

Nico narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "Should I?" he asked.

"We're your friends," Percy said, exchanging a worried glance with Annabeth.

"And I'm your _sister_," Hazel pointed out. She took a step toward Nico, but he responded by taking a step back.

"Sister," he repeated. "I don't have a… I mean, I don't…" He frowned and shook his head, seeming frustrated. He looked just like he had in Hazel's dream the previous night—dark jeans and black T-shirt, both torn and dirty, hair a mess, face and arms streaked with mud, dark eyes tired and bloodshot. It made her wonder if maybe what she'd seen had yet to happen—or if he'd escaped the hunter after all. "I don't remember having a sister," he finally said uncertainly.

"Don't… remember?" Hazel said, the word making her feel strangely cold. What could he mean, he didn't remember?

Annabeth took a step forward and said carefully, "What _do_ you remember?"

"Nothing before this place," Nico replied, gesturing to the trees behind him. "And so far, the only other guy I've seen is a total nutcase, so you three had better start explaining what you're doing here." He took another step away from them, holding out his arms and eyeing each of their weapons warily.

"We're not working with the hunter," Percy assured him. He glanced at his sword and quickly re-capped it so it changed back to pen-form. Nico's eyes widened in surprise as Percy stuck the pen back into his pocket.

"We actually came here looking for you," Annabeth added. "But we lost the rest of our group."

"You were… looking for me?" Nico repeated, his voice distant. "So… you guys really _do_ know me?"

"Of course we do," Percy answered with a shrug. "Your name's Nico di Angelo, you're fifteen years old—well, technically you're almost ninety, but that's sort of complicated—"

"What Percy's _trying_ to say," Annabeth interrupted her boyfriend as a stricken look crossed Nico's face, "is that you're a good friend of ours. Your father sent you to investigate something last week and you never came back. We're glad you're okay, but… You really don't remember how you got here?"

"What part of that is so hard to understand?" Nico asked sharply. "First thing I remember is waking up here in this forest. Then I get caught by this crazy, giant hunter guy, then he lets me go and hunts me down _again_. This is the third time I've made it out of there, but he must have gotten lost or something. I'm telling you, guy's a serious headcase."

"We know," Percy said dryly. "We met him."

"So what's with the weapons?" Nico asked, eyeing Hazel's sword where it lay on the ground near her feet. "Are you guys like… exterminators or something?"

"Actually, we sort of are," Percy admitted with a shrug and a small smirk. "But we're on your side."

"I don't even know what my 'side' _is_," Nico argued, looking annoyed.

"The point is, you can trust us," Annabeth said firmly. She looked at Percy, then at Hazel. "We should keep moving," she suggested. "In case that hunter comes looking for us. We can follow the stream."

Nico seemed reluctant to follow them, but must have decided that it was better than being alone, because he came along without protest. Hazel walked beside him, silently checking to make sure he wasn't hurt. She couldn't see any serious injuries, and he seemed to be walking fine, so instead she focused her attention on the strange problem of his complete memory loss.

She'd seen memory loss before. About a year ago, when she'd first met Percy, he had shown up on Camp Jupiter's doorstep with a goddess in his arms and no idea who he was or where he came from, aside from his name and some impressive fighting skills. Later on, she'd learned that it had been Juno herself that had stolen his memories, and that she had done the same to Jason Grace, who at the time had been missing for months. The difference was that every time Percy saw something or met someone from his past, it would trigger a memory. He knew when something was familiar. But with Nico, there was no recognition whatsoever in his eyes when he looked at Hazel and the others. And he hadn't even remembered his own name.

"You guys don't think Hera's responsible for this, do you?" Percy wondered aloud, obviously thinking along the same lines as Hazel had been.

"I don't know," Hazel said skeptically. She pointed out what she'd noticed about the difference between Percy's and Nico's memory loss. "I guess it's possible, but what reason would she have had? And if it was Juno, then… why would she do it differently now?"

"Will you stop talking about me like I'm not here?" Nico said irritably. "Just 'cause I don't remember you doesn't mean I can't hear you."

"He's right, you know. It's rather rude."

All four of them nearly jumped into the stream at the sound of the fifth voice. Hazel whipped around, drawing her sword and holding it at the ready, but her grip faltered when she laid eyes on the speaker. Standing just behind them was a tall woman with long, brown hair braided with gold ribbon. Her face was kind and gentle, but her eyes were frightening, like a mother with a short temper whom you did _not_ want to cross. She was dressed in a long, white gown that piled on the forest floor. Hazel knew this woman—or did in her Roman form, at least—but what she didn't know was why in the world she was there.

"Hera," Annabeth greeted the goddess in a tight voice. Hazel glanced to the side and saw Percy place his hand on Annabeth's arm in a warning gesture.

"Hello, Annabeth," Hera said with a small smile. "Percy, Hazel, Nico. How have you been?"

"How have we _been_?" Annabeth repeated in a voice of forced calm. "Oh, we've been great! Just fighting for our lives to stop another stupid war you probably don't even know about!"

Hera's eyes flashed and for a second Hazel had a vision of Annabeth as a sassy pile of dust, but then the goddess only smiled. "Oh, we are aware of the prophecy. Make no mistake about that. In fact, that's why I'm here. You seem to have come across the one person who knows exactly what this new threat is."

Hazel's throat tightened uncomfortably. "You mean Nico?" she asked. Hera regarded Hazel and nodded. "But… he's lost his memories."

"Exactly," Hera said. "And what reason would someone have for erasing them, other than to hide his discovery of something he shouldn't know?"

"Wait, wait, wait," Nico interrupted, looking frustrated. "I get that I'm supposed to know you guys, but what's all this nonsense about wars and prophecies? If anybody feels like filling me in, since I'm supposed to be important here—"

"So you're saying," Annabeth said slowly, ignoring Nico, "that when Nico went to investigate for his father, he found out who's behind this prophecy. And they stole his memories as a way to keep him quiet?"

Hera stepped forward and reached toward Nico, who flinched back from her apprehensively. She placed her hand on his head and closed her eyes. After a long second, she opened her eyes again and frowned. "His memories weren't stolen," she said, lowering her hand. "They were washed away."

"Washed away?" Hazel repeated. "What does that mean?"

Hera took a step backward and glanced at the forest floor. "In the Underworld, there is a river. It's where those who choose rebirth after death are taken, so that their old life can be washed clean to make way for the new one."

"The Lethe," Percy said, looking thoughtful. "I've been there. With Nico, actually."

"Correct," Hera said, and Nico frowned at Percy as though trying to remember their Underworld vacation. "The scent of the Lethe's waters is still inside his mind. That's where his memories have gone."

"But if that's true, we can't get them back," Annabeth said, a desperate look in her eyes. "When people bathe in the River Lethe, their memories are lost forever. They'd have to be—otherwise you'd keep having flashbacks from your past life."

"That's true," Hera agreed, "for any normal soul. But Nico di Angelo is no normal soul. He is a child of the Underworld, and thus has an unnatural bond with it. I believe that if he were to be placed into a deep enough sleep—that is to say, if he were close to death—his mind could call out to his memories and draw them back to him."

"Close to death?" Nico repeated incredulously. "What's _wrong_ with you people?"

"But how do we do that?" Percy asked. "Try to kill him and hope he survives?"

An amused smile appeared on Hera's face, as though she liked the idea of her nephews trying to kill each other. Hazel shivered with a sudden cold chill. "Seek out the god Hypnos," Hera instructed. "As master of sleep, he may be able to help you. You can find him in Los Angeles, at the Cloud Nine Hotel. But be wary of his three sons, Morpheus, Phobetor, and Phantasos."

"The Dream Brothers," Annabeth noted with a nod.

"Yes," Hera said. "They manage the hotel, and they're very good at keeping intruders away from their father."

"Hold on a second," Percy interrupted, holding up his hands. "If Nico really knows what's going on here, why didn't you come looking for him sooner?"

"You don't think his father tried?" Hera challenged the question, raising an eyebrow. "With Nico's memories gone, his mind was consequently wiped of any and all awareness of our existence, and of who he really is. His consciousness was closed off from magic and immortal detection. For all intents and purposes, he has been completely out of touch with our world. Your meeting up with him here has begun to reverse that effect."

"So that's why we couldn't Iris-message him," Annabeth realized with a thoughtful frown. "He was out of sync with the immortal network."

"Yes," Hera confirmed. "And now that you've found him, restoring his memory is of the utmost importance. When you find Hypnos, explain this to him. He will understand."

"Thank you, Lady Hera," Hazel said, offering a slightly awkward bow. "We appreciate your help."

"Anything for family," the goddess said with a cryptic smile. "Good luck, demigods. Do not let us down." With that, there was a bright flash of light, and she was gone.

"Well that was random," Percy said, scratching his head. "Think we should have asked her about the hunter?"

Annabeth gave a short sigh in apparent frustration. "At least we've got a plan. All we need now is the rest of our group."

"Who was that?" Nico asked, eyeing the place where Hera had just been standing with suspicious eyes. "And what did she mean, 'child of the Underworld'?"

Annabeth bit her lip and studied Nico's confused expression, a tired frown on her face. "Percy," she said haltingly, turning to her boyfriend. "Maybe you should, you know… give Nico the _talk_."

Percy winced, as though remembering something painful. "Again?" he said dully.

Nico took a step backward, suddenly looking panicked. "Whoa, wait, I don't even _know_ you guys. I don't think we need to be talking about _that…_"

Hazel wasn't sure what he was referring to, but Annabeth's eyes shot open and a tiny flush colored her cheeks. "Not _that_ talk!" she snapped, her voice slightly higher than normal. Percy snorted in amusement and Hazel placed a hand over her mouth, finally understanding the conversation and wishing she hadn't. Annabeth let out an exasperated sigh and threw her hands in the air. "Percy!" she scolded with a glare.

"Alright, alright," he conceded, stepping toward a very confused and slightly scared-looking Nico and swinging an arm around his shoulders. "Come on, Nico. Let's go have a chat about your parents."

* * *

**Well. Got a plan now, don't we? Just need to get the rest of our team back.**

**Review for me in the meantime :) Later days, everybody!**

**-oMM**


	21. XXI Hazel

**Hi gang! This one's another short, sort of filler chapter. Thanks everybody for reading/reviewing!**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**XXI  
HAZEL**

Hazel didn't know much about Hypnos—or Somnus, as his Roman form was called. Hardly any of his descendants lived at Camp Jupiter. She knew Camp Half-Blood had a few, but the only time she'd met one, he'd been asleep and they hadn't exactly been properly introduced. She knew that he was the god of sleep, and father to the three gods of dreaming, but beyond that she was in the dark. She knew relying on gods was tricky—especially where prophecies were concerned. But if there was a chance that Hypnos could help Nico, then Hazel was willing to find him and give it a try.

Hazel glanced at Annabeth, who was sitting on the rock beside her and absently twirling a bronze knife in her hands. She had a distant frown on her face and was staring at a broken log on the ground, seemingly deep in thought. Hazel knew Annabeth had a rocky history with the goddess Hera, and was probably trying to decide whether or not to trust her. Personally, Hazel thought it wasn't a good sign that the gods were starting to get involved—it meant that the prophecy posed a legitimate threat. It was nice to have the immortals' help now and then, but they only intervened when it was absolutely necessary. If Hera had decided to help them out, chances were their journey wasn't going to be an easy one.

"Hey, I've been meaning to ask you," Annabeth said suddenly, turning to Hazel with concern in her eyes. "Are you okay? About New Rome disappearing, I mean."

Hazel let out a slow breath, her mind returning once again to her missing friends. The truth was, she'd been trying not to think too much about that particular problem, lest she go crazy like Reyna had begun to do. But of course, it wasn't easy to forget something like that. "I don't know," she answered honestly. "There's so much going on right now—New Rome gone, Reyna and the others missing, Nico's memory loss… It's like I can't decide what to worry about most."

Annabeth smiled ruefully. "I know what you mean," she said. "I think the first thing we need to do is find Leo, Grover, and Reyna. If the hunter has them, they've got to be here in the forest somewhere. Then… I guess we'll follow Hera's advice and go to Los Angeles." She wrinkled her nose at the idea, seeming frustrated. "Maybe if Nico remembers what he saw, it'll help us find New Rome."

"I hope they're all okay," Hazel said quietly, thinking of all her friends that were missing—Leo, Reyna, Grover, Frank, Jason, Piper, the list went on and on. Again, she tried to sense whether or not they were still alive, but she had no more luck than she had the previous night. She'd even found Nico, but she knew better than to ask him for help. He didn't remember who he was, and therefore wouldn't remember how to use any of his powers. With a jolt, Hazel realized that must have been why he didn't fight back against the hunter in her dream.

Annabeth glanced down toward the stream, where Percy and Nico were sitting and discussing the immortal birds and bees. "I can't believe this is happening again," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. The look in her eyes was so sad that Hazel felt like a hand was clenching at her heart. "Three wars in three years. I know better than to expect an easy life, but… I still can't help but think how unfair this is. Look at us." She held up her knife, staring down at the shining, bronze surface. "We've all been forced to grow up so fast. These wars and prophecies have stolen our childhood—what should have been the best years of our lives we've spent just fighting to keep from being torn apart. A day hardly ever goes by where we aren't worrying about someone or afraid of something or running for our lives. I thought the Titan War was hard, but after last summer, I'm just… I'm just tired. I don't know if I can fight another war."

Hazel was quiet for a long minute, thinking about what Annabeth said. It was rare to see the daughter of Athena so sad and tired—usually she was so good at appearing strong and in-control. Hazel knew that deep down, Annabeth had her fears and her weaknesses and hated fighting just as much as the rest of them—especially after what she'd been through last summer—but despite that she always pressed on and always came through. Hazel admired Annabeth for that more than she could ever know.

"Maybe not," Hazel finally said, "but _I_ know you can. You're one of the strongest, bravest people I've ever known. Really. I wish I was more like you, actually."

"No, you don't," Annabeth argued with a wry smile. "Being me isn't all that great. I've been through some serious crap in my life."

"Yes, and look at you now," Hazel insisted. "You're so… together. No matter what you're feeling on the inside, you always manage to stay strong for the rest of us. That's why I know you're gonna be fine. You wouldn't be happy with any less."

Annabeth studied Hazel for a minute, her gray eyes unreadable, until finally she smiled. "I guess I _am_ something of a perfectionist," she joked. Hazel smiled, and Annabeth added, "Thanks, Hazel." She leaned forward and wrapped Hazel in a grateful hug.

"Sorry to break up the chick-flick moment," Percy said with an amused grin as he and Nico appeared beside Annabeth and Hazel, "but Nico thinks he might be able to solve one of our ninety-nine problems."

"The hunter," Nico explained as Annabeth and Hazel rose to their feet, interested. "You said he might have your friends, right? I know where he lives—I can get you there."

"Are you sure?" Annabeth asked, eyes widening. "I mean, I know this has gotta be tough for you, not remembering anything, not being able to fight—"

"You guys are trying to help me, right?" Nico interrupted with a frown. "I might not know anything about these… gods, or prophecies or whatever, but…" He glanced at Percy, who nodded at him. "If you guys really are my friends, then I want to help you however I can. Especially if it'll get my memory back."

Hazel smiled at her brother, glad that he was willing to work with them and hoping that this plan would help. "Thanks, Nico," she said.

"We owe you," Annabeth added.

"If this works and I remember you, we'll call it even," Nico promised with a wry smile.

"Alright, gang," Percy said with a grin, punching a fist into his palm. "Let's go hunt us a hunter."

* * *

**Yes, let's ;) haha. Check my pattern and guess who's back next chapter? Drop me a review if you wanna see what's up with Leo, Reyna, and Grover!**

**Later days!**

**-oMM**


	22. XXII Leo

**Hey there! So I figured since yesterday's chapter was kind of short and dull, I'd be nice and post another one today just 'cause I love you guys. Wasn't that sweet? You're gonna review for me now, right? Come on, people, a couple hundred hits per chapter and like, what, three reviews? That makes me sad :(**

**Anyway, I know some of you have really been waiting for this little bit of explanation. And now, it's finally time to get back to Leo, Grover, and Reyna! Whee! And the next few chapters are longer than we've been getting, which is also a nice change.**

**Thanks everybody for the love! Enjoy! :)**

* * *

**XXII  
LEO**

Leo was sure he was dead.

When that whack-job of a hunter had aimed his gun at Reyna, Leo had shoved her to the side almost without thinking. In the process, however, the bullets meant for her had hit him square in the back. It hurt like crazy for like three seconds, then he just felt numb and sleepy, and then nothing. That was it—no white light, no life-flashing-before-your-eyes, just darkness and quiet. It was kind of disappointing, actually. As a demigod, you're expected to live this fast, dangerous life, and then one day it just _ends_. Just like that. It wasn't as though Leo expected a medal or a trophy or even a lousy 'Hey, kid, thanks for devoting your short, pathetic life to protecting a world that doesn't even know you exist!' But still, it seemed almost like an insult to die so quickly and unimpressively. At least he'd saved Reyna. Maybe the Underworld would go easy on him for that, considering that's where he must be headed.

So why did the Underworld smell like a petting zoo?

Strike that—a petting zoo in Antarctica. The place was _freezing_.

When Leo opened his eyes, they took a few seconds to come into focus, only to eventually show him a blank, wood-paneled wall. He was lying on his side on a wooden floor that had been coated in a thin layer of shellac, making it shiny and slippery in the cold. There was a dim light coming from somewhere behind him, as well as a strange symphony of animal noises.

His head felt heavy and dizzy, and when he tried to raise his hands toward it he found he couldn't move them. His arms were twisted uncomfortably behind his back, and something cold was wrapped tightly around his wrists. Leo let out a low groan and sat up as best he could, immediately doubling over from the freezing temperature.

"Psst!" a nearby voice whispered. "Leo!"

Leo blinked away the fogginess from his vision and twisted toward the sound. A few feet to his right was a row of what looked like iron bars, like on a stereotypical jail cell. And behind them sat Grover.

"Oh, thank the gods you're alive," the satyr said quietly, sighing in relief. "I mean, I don't know why he would have stuck you in here if you weren't, but still… I was starting to get nervous."

Leo noticed that Grover's hands were bound behind him as well, though he apparently bore no more serious injuries than a bright red knot on his forehead. "W-Where are we?" Leo asked, teeth chattering as his body shivered with cold. "And w-why's it so c-cold in here?" He glanced down and realized he wasn't wearing his tool belt. He shuddered, feeling strangely exposed without it.

"I think this must be that hunter's place," Grover answered. "And… I don't know, I think it's just your cage. Weather's fine over here. Well, long as you don't count the animal torture, cruel captivity, and constant threat of a painful death."

Leo frowned in confusion. "But… Why would…?" He froze (more than he already had, anyway) as a horrible thought hit him. He stopped thinking about the biting cold and tried to summon fire in his right hand, but as he'd feared, nothing happened. His body temperature was too low. The hunter had—very effectively—completely disarmed him.

Leo cursed under his breath. "I c-can't use fire," he explained in reply to Grover's questioning look.

The satyr's face fell. "There goes that escape plan," he said miserably. "This is all my fault. So much for my promise to keep you guys safe."

"Where's everybody else?" Leo asked, his breath coming out in visible puffs of air.

"We lost Percy, Annabeth, and Hazel," Grover answered dully, scooting back to lean against the back wall of his cell. "Hopefully, they managed to avoid getting caught. And Reyna…" His voice trailed off and he jerked his head toward something behind Leo. Leo spun in a half-circle on the slippery floor and was met with the sight of another row of iron bars, behind which Reyna was sitting quietly, her head down and her eyes glaring hard at the floor. Her hands were also bound, and she had torn a strip of fabric from the end of her purple cloak and tied it around the cut on her leg, but other than that she seemed to be alright.

"…Is she okay?" Leo asked uncertainly, surprised that she'd been so quiet this whole time.

"I'm fine," Reyna answered the question herself, her voice even more bitingly cold than the air in Leo's cage.

"Yeesh," Leo mumbled. "Touchy." Reyna turned her head sharply and glared at him, causing him to shrink back under her stare. But then her expression changed and she frowned. She gave him a long, searching look, as though deciding whether or not to throw him to a pack of angry wolves, and then turned her gaze back to the floor in front of her.

Eyeing Reyna warily, Leo climbed to his feet and walked to the front edge of his cell, hoping that a little movement would get his blood flowing and bring some warmth back to his body. Before him was a third wall of heavy, iron bars, beyond which spread a wide, dimly-lit room with a high ceiling (Leo supposed the ceiling would have to be high to comfortably house someone the size of their hunter friend). The walls and floor looked to be made of the same wood paneling Leo was standing on. There were no windows in the room, and only one exit that sat against the far left wall—a huge, wide set of identical double-doors made of thick, rounded logs bound together by strips of riveted iron. They had no handles or doorknobs, but a set of giant, metal hinges attached them to the walls. Leo wondered if maybe they were automated, like a garage door.

Reyna's cage was against the back right corner of the room from the entrance. Looking to his left, past Grover's cage Leo could see a line of maybe eight or nine other cages, a few of which were occupied. Some had simple things like a pair of sleeping deer, while others held more exotic finds such as what looked like an African leopard. One even housed a snarling hellhound the size of a rhinoceros (which explained their run-in in the woods earlier), and for one insane second Leo could have sworn he saw a unicorn, but then he blinked and that particular cage was empty.

Strangely, some of the cages seemed to be personalized for their occupants. The deer slept on a grassy floor, for instance, and tiny flames sprouted from the front bars of the hellhound's entrapment. Leo glanced at the ceiling of his own cell and noticed a wide vent running along the back corner that appeared to be supplying him with a steady flow of below-freezing air conditioning. How the cold didn't escape through the iron bars, he had no idea. Not for the first time—and probably not for the last—Leo wished he had his tool belt. Surely there would be something inside that could block that vent.

Even more disturbing than their fellow house guests were the party decorations. The walls of the room were lined with furs, pelts, and skins of all sizes and colors. The original owners ranged from rabbits to bears to large, strangely-colored beasts that Leo didn't recognize. There was even a blue-and-yellow polka-dotted fur displayed proudly above the empty fireplace, as though that particular creature had been an extra-special prize. Animal heads dotted the spaces between some of the skins—three bucks, two wolves, and a warthog with tusks the size of Leo's legs.

"Sickening, isn't it?" Grover said grimly, following Leo's gaze. "I can actually feel my stomach turning."

Leo had to agree. While he'd never exactly been an environmental activist, the capture or slaughter of this many animals for sport was just plain wrong. He swallowed hard in discomfort and turned away from the sight, instead looking over at Grover.

"So how long have we b-been here?" Leo asked the satyr, hunching slightly as another shiver shook his body.

"A few hours, I think," Grover replied, glancing at the ceiling. "It's hard to tell with no windows or clocks or anything."

As Leo rolled his shoulders, he noticed a dull ache in the middle of his back, right where the hunter had shot him, and another troubling thought hit him. "Why aren't I dead?" he asked, feeling strangely panicked all of a sudden. "That guy… He shot me, didn't he? How am I s-still alive?" He craned his arms and reached toward the spot on his back where he was sure the bullets had hit, but his shirt was dry. The skin underneath was sore, but there wasn't any blood.

Grover shrugged uncertainly, looking lost. "Maybe he missed?" he suggested.

Leo shook his head. He may not have remembered much of what had happened afterward, but he remembered that moment perfectly. There was no way a misfire would hurt that much. "He didn't miss," he said confidently.

"Well, obviously he did," Reyna snapped. Leo flinched in surprise and turned to see her still glaring heatedly at the ground. "Seeing as you're still here."

_Yikes, she must really hate being in a cage,_ Leo thought, shaking the frozen tips of his hair out of his eyes and biting his lip with chattering teeth. "Look, I'm sorry this happened," he said carefully, deciding that because she wouldn't be able to physically attack him, now was actually a rather good time to talk. "But if we're g-gonna get out of here, we're gonna h-have to work together."

"Don't you think I know that?" she replied icily, turning her glare on Leo. "Besides," she went on, her voice softening to only adamantine-level hardness and her gaze dropping back to the ground, "this isn't your fault."

Before Leo could marvel at Reyna's unnatural ability to make a kind, understanding statement sound like an insult, the room was suddenly filled with a sharp creaking sound as the giant, wooden doors swung steadily inward, revealing none other than their giant of a host.

"Uh-oh…" Grover muttered, leaning farther against the back of his cell as the hunter strode across the room.

"Figured it was about time I came to check in on our new prizes," he said in his strangely quiet voice, coming to a halt in front of their adjoined cages. "Welcome to the Trophy Room. Haven't seen a satyr in ages. And after the demigod I caught the other day, I been itchin' to find some more." _He must mean Nico…_ Leo realized with a jolt. So the son of Hades _had_ been here. But if that was the case, where was he now?

The hunter looked just like he had when they'd met him in the woods, right down to the double-barrel shotgun resting on his shoulder and the smug grin on his square face. Reyna looked up and sent him a glare so fiery, Leo was surprised the hunter didn't spontaneously combust.

"Who are you?" Leo demanded, though the waver in his voice caused by the cold made him sound a lot less intimidating than he'd tried for.

The hunter's eyes gleamed as he looked down at Leo. "You wanna chat?" he said. "Why not? None too often I get to have a nice talk with my guests. Name's Orion." He lifted his chin and gave them a haughty smirk. "Most know me as 'The Greatest Hunter Who Ever Lived'."

* * *

**I have like this perfect image in my head of Orion's lodge, haha. I love inventing places. Much more fun than inventing people, in my opinion. Heh heh.**

**So we're about halfway done with this story now! Isn't that great? Also kind of sad, though. Drop me a review in the meantime, and I'll catch you all next update for an even longer chapter!**

**Later days :)**

**-oMM**


	23. XXIII Leo

**Hi gang! I wasn't originally gonna post a chapter today, but I got over the block I was having with Chapter 29, so my writing's moving along again (31-33 have been done for a while, haha) and I figured, why not? Plus I'm just in a great mood in general. So, happy Friday, followers!**

**Nice long one today :) Enjoy!**

* * *

**XXIII  
LEO**

"Orion," Leo repeated, tilting his head to the side. "Like the constellation?"

Grover gulped, looking up at Orion with wide eyes. "More like the guy it was named after," he said carefully. "But… you died, didn't you? A long time ago."

"Sure did," Orion answered matter-of-factly. "But everybody else was hitchin' a ride back to the surface last year, what with the Doors of Death propped nice and wide. I figured, hey—why not join 'em? Huntin' in the Underworld ain't much fun, after all. And just look at the collection I've got since then." He spread his arms wide, indicating the array of 'trophies' around the room. "The hunt sure hasn't changed much in the few hundred years I been dead. Same ol' rush. All kinds of new game, though. You ever try huntin' a unicorn?" he asked Grover, who gave him a look of revulsion in response. "Turn themselves invisible, they do. Sure make quite the challenge. But they don't call me the 'greatest hunter who ever lived' for nothin'."

Leo held back a grimace. "I-Impressive," he said noncommittally.

Orion glanced down at Leo. "How you likin' your new home there, fire-boy?" he asked mockingly, probably taking note of how violently Leo was shivering. "Built that there cage for a chimera I caught once. Should be more than enough to keep you cooled off."

"W-What, this?" Leo replied in his best attempt at a scoff, though he was finding his voice difficult to control. "Nothing wrong with a healthy ch-chill. Feels great after that T-Tennessee heat."

"That's the spirit, that is," Orion said with a smirk.

"So," Leo continued, stepping toward the bars that stood between him and Orion. "What do you plan to d-do now that you've caught us?"

"Ain't that easy?" Orion answered with a shrug. "Catch you again. I let you out, y'all get to stretch your legs for a bit, and I get to hunt you down all over. Ev'rybody wins."

Grover snorted. "Doesn't sound like 'winning' to me," he grumbled.

Orion narrowed his eyes at the satyr. "Might wanna try bein' a bit more grateful there," he said in a low voice. "After all, most hunters out there just go an' kill 'em their game an' call it a day. But me, I keep mine nice an' cozy an' safe here at the lodge."

"_Safe?_" Grover repeated. "What you're doing is horrible. You can't keep animals locked up like this! And you can't keep us, either!"

Orion raised an eyebrow. "You tryin' to tell me what I can and can't do, satyr?" He lifted the barrel of his gun and aimed it at Grover, who yelped and threw his hands over his head. Orion laughed, lowering the gun. "Ah, calm down. This gun can't kill you. I got a batch of weapons I load with my own special ammunition—bullets containin' a strong sedative instead o' gunpowder. They break on contact and knock the creature out for a few hours—just long enough for me to collect and take 'em on home."

_Guess that explains why I'm not dead,_ Leo thought somewhat ruefully.

"Anyway, your time'll come soon enough," Orion went on, hefting the shotgun against his shoulder. "I'll be back. Enjoy the rest—you'll need it." He chuckled again, before turning and walking back across the room to the open doors. He stepped out into the dark forest beyond and the doors closed behind him.

"Gee, what a n-nice guy," Leo said dryly. He kicked one of the iron bars of his cell, but his feet were too numb from the cold to feel anything. "What's his story, anyway? He had a constellation named after him, right? I thought the g-gods only recognized good guys like that?"

Grover gave a heavy sigh. "You've met the gods, right?" he said dryly. "They don't just recognize 'good guys'. They recognize guys who were good _at_ stuff—and Orion was the best hunter there ever was." He leaned his head back against the wall, shifting his wrists in their thick rope binding. "He was one of the first humans born from the gods—but not the same generation of gods as you guys. He was a son of Gaea. Some people thought he might have been a giant, but that was just because of his size and strength. Anyway, he was so good at hunting that it started to go to his head. He got so vain, he started boasting he could hunt any living thing on earth. Once he even claimed to be a better hunter than Artemis, and you can imagine how well _that_ went over. He challenged her to a competition, but wouldn't admit that he'd lost. So she killed him."

"Actually," Reyna interrupted suddenly, causing both Leo and Grover to look over at her, "it was the goddess who refused to admit defeat. Orion won the challenge, and she killed him out of spite."

Grover shrugged with a scowl. "If that's what you believe," he said stiffly.

"Well, _whatever_ happened," Leo said over them, "he's b-back now. And by the look of this room, he's already hunted down every l-living thing in this part of the forest. If we want to s-stop him, we need a plan." Leo gritted his teeth together at the headache the low temperature was starting to give him. "And fast," he added. He leaned against the back wall of his cell and slid to the ground. He was starting to get tired—which was definitely _not_ good. Freezing to death would be a pretty lame way to die for someone with power over fire.

The three of them were quiet for a long time. Leo was having a hard time thinking clearly. He'd heard that low temperatures were supposed to stimulate the brain, but this must have been _too_ low, because all he wanted to do was lie down, curl up in a ball, and take a nice long nap, and none of those things would get them any closer to escaping Orion's morbid Trophy Room.

Leo glanced to his left and saw that Grover was sitting against the back wall of his cage, his hands absently fingering the rope around his wrists. His eyes were closed and he had a look of intense concentration on his face. Leo wasn't sure what the satyr was doing, but he decided it would be best not to interrupt his strange goat meditation ritual.

On his other side, Reyna was still sitting in the middle of her cage, glaring at the floor. Leo shook his head incredulously, unsure how anyone could sit that still for that long. "Hey… Are you okay?" he asked her tentatively, inching closer to the bars that stood between them (but making sure to stay just outside arm's reach, just in case). "You've barely s-said anything since we got here. You're not hurt, are you?"

Her head turned slowly toward him. She studied him in silence for a long minute, then said slowly, "Before, in the forest. He was aiming for me. You saved me."

Leo frowned, confused as to why she would be bringing that up. "Yeah. So?" He squirmed under her piercing gaze, worried that he might be walking into some kind of verbal trap. He'd never exactly been good at spotting those, especially when it came to girls. Even more especially when it came to girls like Reyna.

"You could've died," Reyna said flatly, as though he hadn't realized this.

"Not really," Leo pointed out. "You heard Orion. His guns aren't fatal."

"Did you know that at the time?" Reyna challenged, raising an eyebrow.

Leo hesitated, realizing that she had a point. "No," he admitted.

"So when you took that bullet, you thought it could kill you," she went on seriously. She twisted to the side, wincing at the strain on her injured leg, and looked Leo straight in the eye, her intense gaze boring into him. He blinked uncertainly, fighting the urge to lean backward. "You… You were willing to die for me. Why?"

Leo frowned at Reyna and cocked his head to the side, unsure what to say. "I don't know," he finally answered honestly with a stiff shrug. "We're…" He paused mid-sentence. He'd been about to say 'friends', but he wasn't sure if she agreed with that, so instead he finished, "…on the same side, aren't we? Does there have to be a reason?"

Reyna's frown deepened. "Are you saying you'd sacrifice yourself for any of your allies?"

Leo considered this for a second. He tried to imagine if it had been one of his other friends instead of Reyna; would he have acted differently? Well, that was an easy one—of course not. He would have done the exact same thing no matter who it was beside him. "Yeah, I guess so," he finally answered simply. "Why, wouldn't you?"

Now it was Reyna's turn to hesitate. "…It depends on the situation," she replied. "In some cases, chances of success could be higher if I'm the one to survive. I wouldn't want to jeopardize more people's lives by giving up my own."

Leo raised his eyebrows and laughed shortly. "Well. Remind me never to get stuck in a life-or-death situation with _you_," he joked.

For a second, he fully expected Reyna to glare or scold his making light of the situation, but to his surprise she breathed out sharply—_almost _a laugh—and the corner of her mouth turned up in a rueful smile.

Leo gaped at Reyna, sure he was seeing things. From what he knew, she hardly _ever_ smiled, let alone _laughed_. "Did you just—?"

"AH-HA!"

Leo jumped so badly he nearly fell over. "Grover?" he said, whipping around to see that the satyr had finished whatever he'd been doing and was now standing straight on his furry goat legs, staring at the bars of his cage with a wild look in his eyes.

"What's wrong?" Reyna asked.

"Not wrong," Grover said, shaking his head vigorously. "_Right!_ You guys know how I have that empathy link with Percy?"

Leo nodded impatiently, but Reyna frowned and said, "What's an empathy link?"

"It's like a telepathic connection that satyrs can establish with another person," Grover explained. "It lets you read each other's emotions and sometimes make contact from long distances."

"So… you t-talked to Percy?" Leo asked urgently, fighting back another shiver.

"Well, I didn't _talk_ to him, per se…" Grover admitted, cocking his head to the side. "But I could sense him. And he's on his way here!"

"Really?" Leo said, eyes widening in relief.

Grover nodded enthusiastically. "He wasn't too far away. Should be here in less than an hour."

"Okay, then—new plan," Leo said. "We h-hang tight 'til the cavalry comes to bust us out, then we all take on the c-constellation guy together and save the forest."

"_Yes!_" Grover cheered with a grin.

"I can't _wait_ to get out of here," Reyna added through gritted teeth, shifting her arms in their bonds.

Leo climbed to his feet and walked up to the front of his cell, peering out into the room. His eyes landed on a large, wooden chest beside the fireplace that he hadn't taken note of before. The lid was thrown open, and inside was a jumbled array of all different kinds of weapons. The neck of a sniper rifle was foremost near the front of the chest, and the shaft and blade of what looked like a broken spear stuck out near the back. An assortment of knives was stacked together. There was even a long, recurve bow, though it wasn't strung, and a worn-looking quiver of arrows. There were three sword blades visible—one silver, one bronze, and one black. Leo felt a lump form in his throat as he wondered if some of those weapons had been taken from people Orion had hunted down.

"Check it out," he said, nodding toward the chest. "Escape Supplies 'R' Us."

"Good," Reyna said darkly, finally rising to her feet and walking toward the edge of her cage. "This guy owes me the worth of an Imperial Gold dagger."

Grover glanced over at Leo and Reyna. "So all we need now is a way to—" His voice faltered when the creak of the main door's hinges filled the air.

Leo's spirits plummeted. "I don't suppose that's the cavalry…" he said glumly.

Grover shook his head, looking miserable. "There's no way they were that close." And sure enough, when the doors swung open, in walked Orion—this time brandishing a hunting rifle in place of his double-barrel shotgun, though his dirk was still strapped to his belt.

"Midnight," Orion said appreciatively, taking a deep breath. "Best time for a hunt, eh?" He strode across the room, his steps surprisingly light for such a big man. "So," he said when he'd halted in front of Leo, Grover, and Reyna, "who wants to go first, huh? How 'bout you, goat-boy? Haven't had a good farm hunt in quite the long run." He stepped toward Grover's cage and the satyr backed against the wall, trying to look defiant but instead managing to look confused, like he knew he was afraid but couldn't decide what to be afraid of.

As Orion moved toward the front of Grover's cage and reached into the inside pocket of his jacket, Leo's mind started working on overdrive. If Grover was tracking Percy via empathy link, there was a good chance that Percy was tracking Grover in the same way. And if Grover left the lodge, the others might never find it and instead go after him. But he would be constantly on the move, which would only make the entire ordeal take ten times as long. Conclusion: if there was any hope of Percy, Annabeth, and Hazel finding them, Grover had to stay here. _Great,_ Leo thought wryly, knowing what had to be done to make sure that happened and not looking forward to it in the slightest.

"I'll do it," he said quickly, surprised by how harsh his voice sounded.

Orion stopped, the small, golden key in his hand an inch from one of the bars on Grover's cell. He turned to face Leo and raised his eyebrows. "Tryin' to save your friend, are you, fire-boy?"

Leo glanced toward Reyna to see her giving him a hard look, and he didn't need an empathy link to know what she was thinking: _You're doing it again?_ He ignored her and turned back to Orion, fighting a violent cold chill. "W-Wouldn't you rather hunt someone who's gonna play along and be c-calm about it? You send him out there, he'll be t-too scared to think straight. He'll make so much noise, you'll find him in ten m-minutes."

"Hey!" Grover said indignantly. Leo shot him a meaningful look, and he clamped his mouth shut.

Orion chuckled. "Fair point," he said, stepping away from Grover's cage toward Leo's. "Alright, then. Congrats, fire-boy. You get to be hunt number one." He inserted his key into a contraption on the rightmost bar of Leo's cell, and the whole row suddenly sank into the ground. Orion stepped aside, holding out an arm.

"Just like that?" Leo said uncertainly, surprised that it had been that easy. Orion must have been insanely confident. "I could run, you know."

Orion raised an eyebrow and hefted his rifle, aiming the barrel at Leo. "Would you, now?" he asked simply.

Leo gave a short sigh of defeat, glaring at the gun. Orion was right—if Leo tried anything, he could shoot him point-blank, wait for him to pass out, and then lock him back in his cell. No wonder the hunter was so confident.

As soon as he stepped out of the cell, the air temperature rose substantially. It was room temperature—maybe seventy or seventy-five degrees Fahrenheit, but the difference was so great that it felt like he'd walked from a freezer into a sauna. The drastic change in temperature made Leo's skin burn and his chest tighten, sweeping the air from his lungs. He gasped and doubled over, coughing as he tried to catch his breath.

Orion laughed and thumped Leo on the back, causing him to stumble forward under the weight. He drew his dirk from his belt and Leo reflexively jerked away from him.

"Relax," Orion said as he snatched Leo by the shoulder and used the knife to slice through the thick, frozen ropes binding his hands together. As Orion replaced the dirk, Leo rolled his shoulders and rubbed the raw skin on his wrists. The numbness was wearing off and the feeling was returning to his body, but that unfortunately made him realize how sore he was. Chances of this hunt being easy? Outlook not so good.

"So here's how it works," the hunter explained. "I give you a ten-second head start. Then I hunt you down."

"Extreme Hide-and-Seek, got it. Don't I get some kind of weapon or something?" Leo suggested, hoping he wasn't pushing his luck too far. "I mean, you like a challenge, don't you?"

Orion glanced at the ceiling, looking thoughtful. "Alright, kid," he finally said. "Not that it'll help you much. Any weapon you got in mind?"

"Just my tool belt," Leo answered immediately. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Grover watching him apprehensively. Reyna was giving him a funny look that clearly said she thought he was crazy.

Orion shrugged. "Suit yourself," he said. He strode over to the chest of confiscated items by the fireplace and rummaged around inside. He pulled out Leo's tool belt and tossed it across the room and Leo grabbed it out of the air, relief already spreading through him just having it back in his hands.

"So," Leo said once he'd fastened the belt around his waist, "when do I get this head start?"

"Ten," Orion answered.

"Yeah, ten seconds, right?" Leo went on, shooting a glance over his shoulder toward the open doorway, beyond which he could just make out the edge of the dark forest. "So you got a go word, or—?"

"Nine," the hunter interrupted.

"Already?" Leo yelped in surprise. "Jeez, can't give a guy a bit of a warning?"

"Eight." Orion smirked at him, eyes gleaming dangerously.

"Leo, _run!_" Grover yelled frantically. Leo glanced quickly at him and Reyna, and then turned on his heel and bolted out of the lodge, running as fast as he could on his still-stiff-and-thawing legs.

_Seven_, he counted in his head, trying to focus as a chill ran through his body. He held his right hand in front of him and willed it to catch fire, but again nothing happened. His body was still too cold.

_Six_. He looked over his shoulder and realized that the room he'd just exited was built into a towering mountainside, the open doorway surrounded by hard, gray stone. It was perfectly camouflaged, tucked right into the rock, and he was sure that once the doors closed, they would be hidden from view. Their rescue party might have a tougher time than they thought.

_Five._ Leo reached the line of trees and plunged into the darkness beneath them, his only thought being to get as far away from Orion as possible. He would need to stall the hunter long enough for the rest of their group to reach the lodge and set Grover and Reyna free. They'd have a much better chance of taking on Orion as a team.

_Four._ Another cold chill shook Leo's limbs, causing him to stumble as he fought to keep from making too much noise. Unfortunately, the forest wasn't on his side, and he tripped over a particularly large rock. He fell face-first onto the ground and rolled a few feet, stopping when his back slammed against the trunk of a tree.

_Three._ Leo bit back a groan as he climbed shakily to his feet. He had to keep moving.

_Two._ He snapped his fingers, trying to make a spark. He thought he heard a soft _clicking_ sound, like an empty cigarette lighter, but it was probably his imagination. Still not warm enough. He needed more time.

_One._ Leo raised his head and looked back toward the mountain, his stomach twisting in dread. He swallowed hard and thought, _Zero. Ready or not, here he comes._

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**Ugh, I hate writing dialects like Orion's. Microsoft Word thinks every sentence is a fragment. No, Microsoft Word. I will NOT consider revising. Don't give me your green lines of shame.**

**Also, on the subject of Orion, there are a lot of different mythologies surrounding him and certain aspects of his life, such as his birth and death. I just picked the ones that worked out best with this story, so if it's not what you've heard, sorry but that's what holds for this story's sake, okay? I don't usually play the "artistic license" card, but I'm drawing it here ;)**

**Anyway, yeah, another cliffhanger, I know, haha. You guys should really expect it by now. Next chapter will be up sometime next week, so drop me a review in the meantime :)**

**Later days!**

**-oMM**


	24. XXIV Leo

**Yo. Good weekend, gang? They go too fast, I swear. *sigh* Anyway, we're back with another chapter. I like this one, it was fun to imagine and write, haha.**

**Thanks everybody for reading/reviewing, and welcome all new followers. Enjoy!**

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**XXIV  
LEO**

Screw valor—Leo was a freaking idiot.

Sure, volunteering to act as bait for the greatest hunter who ever lived had sounded like a good idea at the time. Run away for a while, cause a distraction, let his friends be rescued, then team up and take the guy down. Simple, right? _Wrong_. Leo had never realized how difficult it was to keep quiet in a forest in the middle of the night until his life actually depended on it. Every time he tried to run, he'd step on a twig or break up a pile of leaves or trip over a rock. And all of those things made noise. And considering the fact that he was probably the only living thing moving around out there, the noise stood out.

A few times, he tried to find a safe place to hide and wait. But that didn't exactly work either. Twice Orion had very nearly shot Leo in the back again, and once he almost lost his head to the hunter's knife. He had no idea how the big guy was so freakishly fast and so freakishly quiet at the same time. It was like he moved with the shadows—completely undetectable until it was almost too late. Every time Leo would escape Orion, it was usually a matter of minutes until the hunter would catch up again. It was really getting exhausting. And not to mention terrifying.

As Leo made his way through the forest, twisting and turning in an effort to keep Orion off his trail, his mind raced faster than his legs did. He needed a plan, some way to avoid or distract Orion long enough to either get back to his friends or find the _Argo II_. He knew he couldn't beat the hunter in a straight fight, but there had to be another way to outsmart him.

As he ducked under a low-hanging tree branch, running as fast as he could without making too much noise, something suddenly closed around Leo's ankle and pulled him straight to the ground. Swallowing a curse as pain shot up his leg, he rolled onto his back and sat up to see that he'd unknowingly triggered a metal spring trap that had been hidden on the forest floor.

"Aw, you've got to be kidding me," Leo muttered in frustration. The last thing he needed was to be stuck in one place like a sitting duck. He reached down and yanked on the chain, only to find it staked firmly into the ground at the base of a tree. In desperation Leo tried again to summon fire in his hand—and this time it worked. "Ha!" he said in triumph, and then quickly threw a hand over his mouth, eyes scanning the darkness to make sure Orion wasn't nearby. When nothing happened, he pointed upward with one finger and willed it to catch fire. He focused all his energy on the single flame until it was incredibly hot and sharp, like a welding torch. He then used it to slowly melt through the clamp of the trap around his right ankle, searing the cuff of his jeans in the process. After a long, stressful minute, the metal snapped, setting him free.

As Leo extinguished the flame and leapt to his feet, an idea practically smacked him in the face. He knelt down and picked up the now broken spring trap, rotating it in his hands as his mind started working on overdrive. He raised his head and glanced into the shadows toward where he knew Orion would be, out there stalking him like a beastly predator, and a small smirk spread across his face.

Leo had a plan. But if it was going to work, he would need help.

He tucked the trap back into its hiding place beneath some leaves and took off through the forest, aiming to put more distance between himself and Orion. After about ten minutes of running and changing directions, Leo finally slowed to a halt, leaning against a tree and trying to slow his rapid breathing. Hopefully, Orion was far enough away that he would have some time to find help. He glanced around him, wondering how to go about it. The only other living things in the forest were the trees—and he wasn't sure how keen they would be to lend him a hand. He didn't have Grover's super-satyr Jedi mind powers, so he would have to improvise and use what he _did_ have. Trouble was, he didn't know which trees were nymphs and which trees were just… trees.

_Well, here goes nothing_, Leo though with a shrug. He stretched out his arm and pointed toward a branch of the nearest tree. A small spark of flame shot from the tip of his finger and ignited a single leaf on the branch, turning it almost to ash in a matter of seconds.

"AAAIIIIII! WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?"

Leo jumped in surprise at the loud voice as a frantic dryad leapt out from the tree and patted at the branch, extinguishing the tiny flame. The remains of the burned leaf floated harmlessly to the ground and the nymph turned and glared daggers at Leo.

"Sorry," he said quickly, holding up his hands. "I just wanted to get your attention. I need your help."

"_Help_?" she shrieked, eyes wild. "Why would I _help_ you? You just tried to burn me down!"

Leo winced at the volume of her shout. "Could you keep your voice down?" he asked tentatively. "Orion's out here somewhere."

That seemed to have an effect on her. Her eyes grew wide and she shuddered in what might have been fear. "W-Why should I care?" she asked, though her voice was much quieter than before. "He doesn't hunt trees."

"Maybe not, but he's still a threat to you guys, right?" Leo pointed out. "Trust me, I'm on your side here. I'm sorry about the leaf—I swear I wasn't going to burn your whole tree. I just need your help bringing down Orion."

The dryad looked him up and down apprehensively. "And how do you expect to do that?" Her voice was sharp, but there was tentative hopefulness in her eyes, which Leo thought was a good sign.

"I've got a plan," he promised, "but I can't do it alone. If it works, we could save the forest. You in?"

The dryad chewed her bottom lip, twirling a lock of green hair. Finally she nodded curtly, determination in her warm, brown eyes. "I'm in."

-ψ-ψ-ψ-

As it turned out, dryads were excellent at distractions. Willow, the dryad whose tree Leo had set fire to, had spread the word to some friends that Orion was on his way, and they needed some time to work before he arrived. They'd pledged to distract him for as long as possible, and it must have worked, as almost half an hour had passed without a sign of the hunter. Which allowed Leo plenty of time to construct his trap.

He built a total of five decoy spring traps like the one he'd been caught in from materials found in his tool belt (man, he loved that thing). In addition, he'd fastened a length of chain tight around the trunk of a tree and welded it together for extra security, attaching a thick, metal clamp to the end. When word came that Orion was on his way, they were almost completely ready.

After making sure that his decoy traps were safely in place, Leo covered the visible part of his chain with leaves and dirt, relying on the darkness to do the rest. He crouched in the shadows beside the chained tree, ducking beneath the corner of a bush and holding tightly to a length of rope in one hand and the metal clamp in the other. He could feel adrenaline rushing through his veins as he tried to keep absolutely still and quiet. If this was going to work, Orion couldn't see him until the time was right.

Finally, he saw him. The big hunter was creeping slowly through the trees to Leo's left, right along the intended path. The nymphs had done their job perfectly. Now the rest was up to him.

Unsurprisingly, Orion noticed the first trap with apparent ease. He shook his head and sidestepped it, continuing forward. The second was covered with leaves, but the hunter found it as well. "You think these were gonna stop me?" he said in a whispered voice, clearly confident enough that he wasn't afraid to give away his position. "I know you're 'round here somewhere, fire-boy. I'm glad for the challenge, but this is gettin' a bit sad." He was uncomfortably close now. Leo held his breath and hoped his pounding heart wasn't loud enough to give him away. It would sure throw a wrench in things if he were to get shot before the hunter was in range.

As Orion sidestepped the fifth trap, he was almost level with Leo's hiding place. Leo glanced across the small path to where Willow was crouching in the shadows and gave her a tiny nod. As one, they both pulled on the rope they held between them, yanking it a few inches above the ground. Miraculously, their timing was perfect, and Orion tripped mid-step and fell face-first to the forest floor.

As fast as lightning, Leo leapt out of his hiding place and dove across the ground. Orion barely noticed the movement before Leo closed the metal clamp in his hand around the hunter's leg, fastening the lock and quickly melting it in place. With a growl, Orion swung his knife at Leo, who ducked and rolled out of the way. The knife grazed the side of his neck, narrowly missing taking off his head and instead decapitating a lock of his hair. Orion climbed to his feet and started toward Leo, but he was stopped by the chain welded around the tree.

"Not bad," Orion said appreciatively. He pulled at the chain, but it didn't budge. Instead, he stuck his knife into his belt and raised his rifle. "We just might make a hunter out'a you yet."

"Sorry," Leo replied, eyeing the barrel of the gun and trying to plan his next move. "This is a one-time show." Orion chuckled darkly and aimed his rifle at Leo, who leapt to the side to avoid the gunshot. He grabbed a low branch on the tree nearest to him and pulled himself up onto it as Orion cocked his gun. Leo hadn't actually climbed a tree (or anything else, for that matter) in a long time, but having run away from so many foster homes as a kid, climbing was something he'd always been good at. By the time Orion had readied another shot, Leo was over thirty feet in the air.

"If you think I can't hit you up there," the hunter said, his voice carrying, "think again." He fired his gun and Leo ducked instinctively, the bullet striking the tree just above him. How Orion could see him through the leaves and branches, Leo had no idea. He might have been impressed if he wasn't scared out of his mind.

_There's got to be a way to get that gun away from him_, Leo thought, mind racing and eyes scanning the forest around him. He heard Orion cock his rifle again and he eyed a nearby branch attached to another tree. It wasn't far—shouldn't be a difficult jump. Before his rational side could win out, Leo turned toward it and leapt off his branch, and just in time, too. Another gunshot fired before his hands gripped the second branch.

"Never actually hunted a monkey before," Orion called up to him. "Gotta say, it ain't half bad."

_Yeah, yeah,_ Leo thought angrily as he pulled himself up onto the branch, crouching down near the trunk of the tree. The next gunshot caught him off guard, speeding by an inch from his left ear and making him jump in alarm. His foot slid on the branch and he lost his balance, leaning too far backward and completely losing his grip on the tree. With a surprised shout, he fell from the branch head-first, reaching out his arms to grab onto something to slow his fall. Finally his left hand caught a thin branch halfway to the ground, but the jolt twisted his arm a bit too far. He yelled in pain as something in his wrist snapped out of place, and reached up to grab the branch with his right hand to keep from losing his grip.

"There you are," Orion said, and Leo looked over to realize he was directly in the hunter's line of vision. Orion cocked his rifle and held it to eye level. Leo knew he wouldn't be able to pull himself up on one good arm, so his only chance was to let go. He was still fifteen feet above the ground, but that sort of fall wasn't too bad, right? With a frustrated growl, Leo released his hold on the branch just as the gunshot blared. He hit the ground rolling, which hurt, but he supposed it was better than landing on his feet. If one injured joint was difficult, two would just be downright inconvenient.

Leo looked around for cover as Orion readied another shot. _Jeez, doesn't he ever need to reload?_ he thought irritably. Instead of asking, he dove into a nearby bush, hearing the bullet tear through a cluster of leaves just above his head.

Leo didn't move, suddenly having the wild thought that maybe Orion would think he'd finally hit his mark. The hunter was quiet for a few seconds, then Leo heard a low chuckle and he assumed his pseudo-plan had worked. Now back to the real plan.

He leaned around the bush as far as he dared and saw that Orion had set down his gun and drawn his knife. A loud _clang_ sounded as he struck the chain binding him to the tree, but it was obvious that that wasn't going to work. So instead, he swung the dirk at the trunk of the tree like an axe, deciding that was the best way to free himself. Leo winced, hoping there wasn't an angry nymph in that tree.

And speaking of angry nymphs, Willow, who must have been hiding in the shadows that whole time, was now slowly and silently creeping up behind Orion, her eyes darting between the hunter's back and his forgotten rifle. Leo held his breath as she stepped over a twig, knowing that one misstep would mean the end of everything. Luckily, she made no sound, and Orion kept swinging his knife at the tree, making very slow progress in chopping it down.

As Willow edged around the hunter and reached for the gun lying on the ground at his side, he finally sensed her. He turned and made a wild grab for her, but she ducked low and dove under his arms, grabbing the rifle with both hands. She clutched it to her chest and rolled out of Orion's reach, narrowly missing his knife.

"Wood nymph!" he said angrily as Willow jumped to her feet. Looking scared and exhilarated at the same time, she turned and threw the rifle toward Leo as he crept out from behind his bush. Surprised, he barely caught the gun in both hands, cringing and gritting his teeth at the strain on his injured wrist.

Leo had never even held a gun before, let alone fired one. But he didn't need perfect accuracy—after all, Orion was a pretty big target. He gripped the rifle carefully, ignoring the pain spiking up his left arm.

Orion glared at Leo, a heavy scowl on his face. "You, kid, are a pain in my tail," he growled.

Leo smirked, almost not believing this had actually worked. "If I had a dollar for every time I heard that," he said, taking careful aim, "I could buy this forest." He pulled the trigger, staggering backward from the force of the backfire. The bullet struck Orion in the side, and he yelled furiously before crumpling to the ground in a heap, knocked unconscious by his own custom hunting equipment.

Leo dropped the rifle with a groan and raised his arm, inspecting the bruise that had formed on his wrist. He poked it with his right hand and grimaced as pain flared up his arm. He could barely move his fingers without it hurting.

Willow squealed excitedly, clapping her hands. "We did it!" she cheered. She ran toward Leo and threw her arms around him, wrapping him in a tight hug. He grunted in discomfort as his injured arm was crushed between them, and she pulled back and looked down at his wrist. "You should get that checked," she said cheerfully, the smile never leaving her face. "Now there's only one thing left to do." She turned away and strode casually toward Orion. She then proceeded to pluck the knife from his slack fingers and turn it over in her hand, as though examining the blade.

"Wait, what are you doing?" Leo asked sharply. "The plan was to knock him out and tell the gods what he's been up to—let them decide what to do with him."

"Oh, come on, _seriously,_" Willow replied, raising an eyebrow. "This guy has been all kinds of trouble since he got here. The only way to be rid of him for good is to do it ourselves."

"But… you don't have to _kill_ him."

"Actually, yeah. I do."

Willow gripped the knife and knelt beside Orion, and Leo stepped toward her in panic. "Willow, hold on—!" Too late. Leo reflexively averted his eyes as Willow drove the point of the knife into the side of the hunter's neck. Frustrated, he stared at the ground for a long second, and when he turned back to the dryad, she was standing over a heap of brown dust.

"Well, guess that's over," Willow said with a nonchalant shrug. "Thanks a ton, Leo. We never would have been rid of him if it wasn't for you."

"I…" Leo muttered, still stunned by what had just happened. Apparently, wood nymphs were more vicious than he thought. He'd have to think twice before burning any more leaves in the future.

Willow skipped up to Leo and kissed him on the cheek. "I hope you find your friends!" she said with a smile, before stepping past him and heading back toward her own tree.

As soon as she passed, a thought hit Leo and he spun toward her. "Hey!" he called. She stopped and looked back. "You haven't seen a Greek warship anywhere around here, have you?"

* * *

**Well, that's that, haha. Next chapter should be up in a few days. I'm thinking Friday maybe?**

**Reviews make my day! Later days, everybody!**

**-oMM**


	25. XXV Annabeth

**Hi everybody! Happy Friday, and Happy November. Man, this year is flying WAY too fast. Everybody have a good Halloween? Yes? No? Well, regardless, hopefully this chapter makes you smile at least once. I usually either aim for smiles or tears, sometimes both if I'm feeling particularly daring, haha.**

**Thanks, everybody, as usual. Enjoy!**

* * *

**XXV  
ANNABETH**

If it wasn't for Nico, they never would have found the hunter's hideout.

Seriously, the place was completely camouflaged into the side of a mountain. Annabeth didn't even realize there was a door until Nico had touched a particularly conspicuous rock on the mountainside and two giant contraptions swung inward, revealing a wide opening into a dimly-lit room.

"Let's hope he's not home to welcome us," Nico said, but Percy, Annabeth, and Hazel drew their weapons anyway as they all stepped inside.

Annabeth barely had time to gag at the various animal skins and heads that adorned the walls before a voice called out, "Perrrrrcy!"

"Grover!" Percy said, the relief clear in his voice. As they all realized that the hunter didn't appear to be home, Annabeth followed Percy at a quickened pace down the line of animal cages against the right wall of the room, marveling at the odd collection of game the hunter had acquired. Finally, in the third cell from the end, they found Grover—and he looked positively ecstatic to see them.

"You guys came!" Grover said, breathing a sigh of relief. He scrambled toward the front of his cage and Annabeth noticed that his hands were tied behind his back. "I knew you wouldn't—_Nico?_" His eyes shot open when he noticed the son of Hades standing beside Hazel.

Nico was staring at Grover with an almost horrified look on his face. "Wh… Where are your legs?" he asked.

Grover blinked, looking mystified, like he had no idea how to answer that question. "Uh…"

"Nico's lost his memory," Annabeth cut in, stepping toward Grover. "We'll explain later. Where's the hunter?"

Grover turned to his right and exchanged an uncomfortable glance with Reyna, who Annabeth now noticed was locked in the last cell against the wall. The cage between the two of them was empty.

"He's… out hunting," Grover answered haltingly.

Before Annabeth could ask why he'd said it like that, Hazel asked sharply, "Where's Leo?"

A horrible pang stung at Annabeth's heart and she started to worry that Leo might have been hurt worse than she'd realized, until Reyna replied, "That's what he's hunting."

"_What?_" Percy demanded, eyes widening. As Grover recounted what had happened since they'd been separated, Annabeth felt her stomach twist in dread. On the one hand, it was great that Grover, Leo, and Reyna had survived their fight with the hunter. On the other, Leo was essentially missing again, and they had no idea where he was or if he was alright. Not to mention the fact that the hunter could be back any minute.

"Well, first things first—we gotta get out of here," Nico said, shooting a glance toward the open doorway as though expecting the hunter to walk through it.

"How do we unlock these cages?" Hazel wondered. She stepped toward Reyna's cell and examined a mechanical contraption mounted on the leftmost bar that looked like some kind of lock.

"Orion had a key," Grover pointed out, "but I think he took it with him."

"Wait, Orion?" Percy repeated, raising an eyebrow. "Like… _the_ Orion?"

Grover nodded. "Greatest hunter who ever lived," he said miserably. Annabeth understood his concern. From what she knew, Orion had been endlessly vain and cocky, but for good reason. He really _was_ the greatest hunter who ever lived—even better than Artemis. But that wasn't something you'd say aloud if you liked the way your head sat on your shoulders.

"It doesn't matter," Annabeth interrupted, carefully masking her own worry. "Nico's right. Step one is to get you guys out of here. Then we can worry about Orion—and finding Leo." She stepped forward and leaned toward the lock on Grover's cage. "Maybe there's something around here we can use to pick the locks?" she suggested. The keyhole looked normal enough. Annabeth had never been very good at lock-picking, but she was sure they could figure it out somehow.

"Not sure we've got time," Percy said. "I vote we improvise." He moved toward Grover's cage and raised Riptide, tightening his grip on its hilt.

Annabeth realized what he was about to do a second before he did it. She jumped back and said, "Percy, wait—!" just as he swung the blade down against the lock, slicing through the metalwork and separating the contraption from the cell bar. Miraculously, the row of iron bars between them and Grover sank into the ground. Percy grinned and Annabeth punched his shoulder. "You are _so_ lucky that worked," she scolded him. He only shrugged.

As Annabeth used her knife to cut through Grover's bonds, Hazel repeated Percy's jailbreak technique on Reyna's cell, setting her free as well. Reyna strode directly to a large, open chest beside the fireplace that looked to be full of an odd assortment of weapons and supplies. She dug through it and eventually withdrew her own Imperial gold dagger and Grover's reed pipes, which she tossed to him and he pocketed with a relieved sigh.

"That's… Is that Nico's sword?" Annabeth said, eyeing a black blade protruding from the chest of confiscated items.

"My… what?" Nico said, blinking in confusion.

Percy crossed the room and reached into the chest, extracting the Stygian iron sword and flipping it in his hand. "Yup," he concluded, examining the blade. "It's his, alright. Guess we'd better take it with us. Hopefully soon he'll remember how to use it." He handed the sword to Nico, who took it and stared at it like it might give him an incurable disease.

"So now what do we do?" Hazel asked. "We have to find Leo."

"I guess we can head back into the forest and try to follow his and Orion's trail," Annabeth suggested. "But this time, we stick together. No splitting up." The rest of the group nodded in agreement, and Annabeth led the way out of Orion's lodge. She shot another glance at the row of cages along the wall and made a mental note to place an anonymous call to animal control once they were safely away from there.

When they were outside, Nico closed the doors behind them. Annabeth turned back toward the row of trees some distance away from the mountainside and took a deep breath, mentally preparing herself to plunge back into the dark forest, when Grover suddenly said, "What's that?" Annabeth turned to see him squinting at a dark shape that seemed to be approaching them from the sky.

"Is that…" Hazel said in disbelief. "Is that the _Argo?_"

Relief washed over Annabeth as she recognized the familiar bronze dragon figurehead on the great trireme slowly lowering itself toward their clearing between the mountain and the forest. "Everybody out of the way," she said quickly, realizing that there would be just enough room to land the ship where they were standing, but if they didn't fancy being crushed they would need to move. All six of them hurried aside and huddled against the mountainside as the ship crept toward them. The hull smashed against the tops of a few trees on the edge of the forest, snapping quite a few branches, but eventually the ship made an unsteady landing on clear ground.

Annabeth and the others hurriedly climbed the rope ladder and boarded the _Argo II_, glad to be back on familiar ground and away from Orion's hunting lodge.

"Sorry about the rocky landing," Leo's voice called from near the stern of the ship. "It's tough to operate this thing one-handed." Annabeth turned around and opened her mouth to reply that it wasn't easy to operate two-handed, either, but her words died when she saw Leo descending the stairs from the quarterdeck.

He was a mess. His clothes were torn and covered in dirt, almost like he'd been rolling in it. There were leaves and twigs stuck in his hair and small scratches all over his face and arms, including a longer cut across the side of his neck. His left arm was in a crude sling that looked to be made of a piece of haphazardly torn cloth. He looked like he'd been living in the forest for days, rather than a few long hours. Although, considering the fact that the last time Annabeth had seen Leo she'd thought he was dead, this was actually a considerable improvement.

"What happened to you?" Percy asked, staring at Leo with wide eyes.

Leo looked down at himself and shrugged. "Got shot, ran for my life, was caught in a trap, fell out of a tree—you know. Just another day in the life." He grinned impishly and Annabeth shook her head in wonder.

"So… you escaped Orion?" Grover said.

Leo's grin faltered. "Orion is, uh… taken care of," he replied vaguely. After a bit of prodding, they finally got him to give them a full recount of how he'd beaten Orion. Annabeth was impressed at his story of how he'd trapped the hunter and used his own weapon against him. The news of Orion's death-by-dryad did come as a bit of a surprise, though.

"If you ask me, the nutcase had it coming," Nico said with a shrug.

Leo blinked at Nico, evidently noticing him for the first time. "Hey, you found him!" he said with a grin. "Awesome. That's one problem solved."

"Well… not exactly," Annabeth argued. With Percy and Hazel's help, she explained in full about Nico's memory loss, including the information Hera had given them. Annabeth wasn't too keen on seeking out Hypnos for help, but she told herself that at least it was a plan. If there was any information they could learn by following this trail, then it would be worth it.

After the discussion, most of the group decided they should try and get some sleep. It was quite late, after all, and the day had been more than a little exhausting. Annabeth noticed Leo grimace as he stood up and stretched, frowning down at his broken wrist.

"I'll fly the ship tonight," she volunteered once most of the others had disappeared to their cabins. She gave Leo a serious look. "You should get some ambrosia for your arm. You're probably gonna need it in the near future."

"Already swiped some from the store room," Leo replied, jerking his head toward the main stairs belowdeck. "No worries. I'll be fine."

"Then go get some rest," Annabeth argued firmly. "Or at least get cleaned up. You look terrible."

Leo gave her a wry grin. "Gee, thanks."

"I say it with love, but it's true," Annabeth said matter-of-factly, patting Leo on the shoulder. "Now get going. I can handle this." He smiled gratefully, finally admitting defeat, before bidding her a tired goodnight and heading downstairs. Annabeth turned toward the helm and noticed that Percy had hung back, and that now the two of them were alone on deck.

"Are you okay?" he asked seriously, following her up onto the quarterdeck.

"Of course," she answered. "Why?" She met his eyes as she came to a halt before the control panel and somehow his expression answered for him. "You mean about Hera," Annabeth said stiffly.

"Yeah," Percy confirmed carefully, leaning on the rail beside the control panel. "I know you don't exactly trust her, but I think we need to give her a chance. She could really be trying to help us."

"Or it could be a trap," Annabeth pointed out as she flicked a switch and pressed a series of buttons (after last summer, Annabeth had insisted Leo show her exactly how the control system of the _Argo II_ worked, in case the situation should ever arise where he wasn't able to fly it. For half-bloods like them, that was a valid concern).

"I don't think it is," Percy insisted, shaking his head. "You heard her—the gods know about the prophecy. It's a threat to them too, not just us. What good would it do them to send us on a wild goose chase?" He leaned around the control panel and directly into Annabeth's line of vision, forcing her to look at him. She gave a short sigh and met his serious gaze. "Look, they probably want to know who's behind this just as much as we do. If we can find out what Nico knows, that'll give us the upper hand, right? Plus, it might help us find out what happened to Camp Jupiter." He reached forward and touched Annabeth's arm, sliding his hand down to grasp her fingers loosely. "I need you with me on this," he said with a small smile.

Annabeth felt her skin tingle at his touch and she couldn't help but smile back. "I'm always with you," she conceded. She reached her arms around Percy's shoulders and pulled him into a tight, comfortable embrace, relaxing as she felt his arms encircle her back. She let out a long sigh, closing her eyes and breathing in the scent of fresh ocean air that always hung around him and had a calming way of clearing her head.

Maybe he was right. Maybe Annabeth was letting her past experience and frustration get the better of her. She was usually one to make rational decisions and fully think through the present situation. What reason could Hera possibly have for lying to them? The gods must have wanted to find out what memories had been stolen from Nico, and Hera had—as she had before—taken it upon herself to interfere with the mortal world in order to get answers. When Annabeth stepped back and looked at the situation objectively, it made a lot more sense.

"You should get some sleep," Annabeth told her boyfriend as she pulled back to look him in the eyes. "I'm fine here."

Percy's eyebrows knitted together in a frown. "You sure?" he asked.

Annabeth smiled. She loved that caring, concerned look he got when we was worried—especially when he was worried about her. "I'm sure," she said, giving him a light shove toward the stairs. "I'm pretty tough, you know. I can handle flying one little Greek warship."

Percy laughed, his face relaxing. Rather than retreat down the stairs, he stepped forward and leaned down toward Annabeth, pressing his mouth against hers in a brief but meaningful kiss. "'Night," he said with a smile.

"'Night," she responded, before finally he turned and left her alone on the quarterdeck to plot their trip to Los Angeles.

-ψ-ψ-ψ-

It was mid-morning and they were still a few hours outside of the city when Leo came to relieve Annabeth so she could get a bit of sleep before they landed. He looked a good deal better than he had the previous night—all washed and bandaged up. He'd replaced the sling on his arm with a splint fashioned out of wood and cloth, allowing him more mobility but still ensuring that he wouldn't further injure his wrist while it healed. At first Annabeth protested that he needed the rest more than she did. But then she remembered that even on a normal night, Leo only ever slept for maybe four or five hours. Where he got his endless supply of energy, she would never understand.

In the end, Annabeth was glad she allowed Leo to take over. She hadn't realized how tired she was until her head hit her pillow, and she was asleep in seconds. She even slept so soundly that when Hazel came to wake her a few hours later saying they'd just landed in a park in Los Angeles, it felt like no time had passed at all.

After getting directions from some locals, it didn't take them long to locate the Cloud Nine Hotel. According to the people they spoke to, it was one of the ritziest and most expensive resort hotels in the area, and consistently received exceptionally high reviews. Annabeth couldn't say she was surprised, considering it was owned and managed by the gods of sleep and dreaming.

The building itself was a huge, fifty-story edifice that spanned the length of almost half a city block. A wide, perpetually revolving door stood front and center, floored with cool, blue marble and topped with a deep golden awning. A valet was standing beneath the awning across the front driveway with his arms behind his back and his head held high. The words '_Cloud Nine'_ were hung halfway up the building in giant, golden script, right above the tagline _'Where Dreams Are Made Real'._

"You'd think as the gods of dreams, they'd have more imagination," Percy muttered, making a face and craning his neck to stare up at the words.

"We're not here to criticize their lack of originality," Reyna said. "We're here for information. Now let's get moving." As she led the way across the front driveway, the valet turned and regarded them passively. He was dressed in a crisp, clean uniform of blue and gold, his short, black hair gelled away from his face. His golden eyes studied them, and Annabeth hoped he wouldn't start interrogating them or call the police. Seven ragged teenagers in plain clothes who clearly didn't belong in a five-star hotel—they probably looked like they were up to no good. But to her relief, the valet only gave them a curt nod and turned to stare back out toward the road.

"I hate these things…" Grover complained as they came up to the revolving door. He started to step into it, then yelped and jumped back, evidently changing his mind.

"Come on, goat boy," Annabeth said with a short sigh. "It's a door. It won't bite." She grabbed Grover's arm and pulled him into one of the spaces with her—they were more than big enough for two people, and probably their luggage as well. Hazel stepped in with them, while Percy, Leo, Nico, and Reyna followed in the next space.

If the outside of the Cloud Nine was impressive, the inside was even more so. The lobby was floored with rich, royal blue carpeting with flecks of gold accents that matched the molding on the walls perfectly. There was a huge, crystal and gold chandelier high above their heads, casting tiny rainbows across the walls as it caught the light. The reception desk was spread out against the far wall, and the left and right walls were lined with rows of golden elevators.

Only a handful of guests were milling about the lobby, either checking in or out with one of the three receptionists, checking their baggage with a bellhop, or waiting for an elevator. Just ahead and to the left, a smiling man in a sharp hotel uniform stood behind a small desk that looked more like a glorified podium. He looked to be about thirty, with dark hair styled into neat, tiny spikes atop his head, and as he stepped around the desk and intercepted Annabeth and her friends, she noticed that he wore a plated tag that read _Concierge._

"Are you checking in?" he asked them pleasantly, looking them up and down. Annabeth was impressed that he kept his expression passive—they didn't look at all like they were checking in at a fine hotel.

Percy shot a glance around them to make sure no one was nearby. "Actually," he said, "we're looking for Hypnos."

"The restaurant?" the concierge said. He spread a gloved hand toward the street. "You'll want to take this road about another two miles—"

"Not the restaurant," Percy interrupted. "The god."

The concierge frowned at them, confusion sparking in his eyes. "I'm… sorry, I'm not sure what you mean."

"Look, we know what this place is, and we know who owns it," Reyna said flatly, glaring at the concierge. "Now let us see Hypnos, or we'll go find him ourselves." The concierge lifted an eyebrow, eyeing Reyna suspiciously.

"Um… Can we speak with the hotel manager?" Annabeth asked politely, exchanging a glance with Percy. This man might not be able to help them, but the manager certainly would. Chances were, the manager would be one of Hypnos' three immortal sons. Hera had said as much, at any rate.

"I'm sorry," the concierge answered in a firm voice, "but unless you kids have a legitimate question or complaint, I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

Annabeth tried to think of an excuse to convince the concierge that they weren't playing some stupid joke, when suddenly the loud sound of glass shattering interrupted her, followed by a shrill scream. The concierge's gaze focused on something behind Annabeth and the others and his face drained of all color, eyes shooting open in fear.

At the sound of another scream, Annabeth spun around and gasped, eyes landing on the gigantic, man-eating rat that had just jumped in through the hotel window.

* * *

**Oh, snap! Danger! Haha.**

**The next chapter's super long - longest one yet, in fact. Should be up Monday or Tuesday. So leave me a review in the meantime!**

**Later days :)**

**-oMM**


	26. XXVI Annabeth

**Okay, guys. I'm warning you now—this chapter is LONG and INTENSE, especially toward the end. This chapter here is actually the main reason I gave this story a T rating. Things go a little nuts, but I have my reasons for making it so.**

**Time for you guys to get acquianted with my true madness... Thanks everybody for reading/reviewing! Hopefully this doesn't hurt you all too badly, heh heh. Enjoy!**

* * *

**XXVI  
ANNABETH**

Annabeth had no idea what the mortals in the lobby were seeing, especially because she barely knew what _she_ was seeing. She had met some pretty strange monsters in her life, but this was something she'd yet to come across. The creature was roughly the size of an African lion and had the face and body of a giant, black rat—with the added bonus of glowing red eyes and huge, knife-like teeth that dripped with pale green liquid—probably poison. Its legs looked more like those of a wolf, with big, padded paws and long, gray claws that curled almost like talons. Its tail was long and ropy, like a rat's, but seemed to move on its own—almost like a snake, though thankfully it had no head. A set of teeth on one end of a monster was bad enough, but two tended to really complicate things.

"What _is_ that?" Percy stammered, digging Riptide out of his pocket and quickly uncapping it as the concierge scrambled backward looking terrified. All around them, the lobby's occupants—employees and guests alike—were shrieking and running toward the front doors, trying to get away from the beast as it snarled and chased after them. It made a grab for a woman near the right row of elevators, tearing the expensive-looking fur coat from her shoulders as she screamed and bolted.

"You don't think it's here for us, do you?" Hazel wondered, mirroring Annabeth's thoughts. The timing was way too perfect—what could be better monster bait than six demigods and a satyr walking into a hotel in the middle of a big city? The wolf-rat finished shredding the woman's fur coat and turned around, snarling as its eyes landed on Annabeth and the others.

"If it wasn't before, it sure is now," Leo answered Hazel's question. The creature leapt toward them and the seven of them scattered to avoid being impaled on its claws. It made a swipe at Reyna, who ducked and rolled to the side, dagger in hand. Its tail whipped around and caught Grover across the stomach, knocking him off his feet and sending him crashing into a luggage cart.

Annabeth jumped backward as the rat's jaws closed around the space she'd just been standing in. She drew her knife and deflected a swipe of the creature's claws. While it was focused on her, Percy snuck up beside it and swung his sword down in an arc. A metallic _clang_ sounded as the celestial bronze glanced off the monster's flank, jarring Percy's right arm and making him stumble backward.

"What the—?" he said as the rat turned its head at the disturbance and Annabeth noticed the dim shine on its fur. It was like the creature was covered in a coat of tiny black needles instead of hair, acting almost as a suit of armor. Great. Like the thing wasn't enough of a pain already.

While it was distracted, Annabeth tried to duck down low and aim her knife at the monster's belly, hoping to find a weak spot. But the creature must have sensed her, because it lashed out with its front arm and blocked her with the back of its paw, knocking her backward toward a small sitting area and grazing her ribs with its claws. Its tail wrapped around Percy's leg and lifted him into the air, and he yelled in surprise as he was thrown across the lobby to disappear behind the reception desk.

Annabeth scrambled to her feet, wincing at the stinging in her left side, as Reyna and Hazel advanced on the monster from either side. She was about to join them when suddenly she heard a vicious snarl from behind her. With a jolt of dread she spun around just as a second wolf-rat leapt from behind a plush, pale blue sofa and extended its claws toward her. Annabeth dove to the side and ducked behind a matching loveseat to avoid being torn in two.

"Fantastic—our friend brought a date," Leo said wryly as he appeared beside Annabeth. He was digging into his tool belt with his good hand, but every time he pulled something out he shook his head and stuck it back in, evidently feeling that none of his materials were deadly enough to fight off a vicious, armored, giant rodent.

"We need to find a weak spot in their armor," Annabeth said, leaning around the back of the loveseat to see where the second rat had gone. She did a quick headcount of her friends. Hazel and Reyna were still attempting to attack the first creature without losing any limbs themselves. Nico was standing just behind them and holding his sword, the look on his face clearly reading 'I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing.' Grover was still over by the elevators, rummaging through the piles of luggage he'd knocked over earlier as though looking for something. Percy was slowly climbing to his feet behind the front desk, rubbing the back of his head and looking dazed.

"Easier said than done," Leo pointed out. Suddenly a loud snarl made them both jump and the teeth of the second wolf-rat darted around the corner of the loveseat. Annabeth lunged away from their hiding place and yanked Leo backward right before the monster's jaws would have closed around his shoulder.

They both got to their feet as the creature eyed them hungrily. Without warning, it leapt forward, and Leo and Annabeth dove to either side hastily. Annabeth pushed herself up from the ground as the second monster landed beside the first, which had just whacked Hazel with its tail and sent her crashing against the wall beside the revolving door. Nico knelt by her side to make sure she was alright as the monster aimed a swipe at Reyna. Reyna dodged backward, but her back hit the concierge's desk and the creature's claws grazed her already-injured leg. As she dropped to the ground, the rat opened its jaws and snapped at her. Annabeth felt her heart stop, but just in time Leo scrambled forward and thrust his right arm outward, shooting a stream of bright blue fire right into the rat's open mouth.

The monster snarled and gagged, recoiling from its attack and writhing around angrily. Leo ducked around the concierge's desk and grabbed Reyna's arm, pulling her to her feet and guiding her quickly away from the creatures. Annabeth breathed out shakily, glad to see that someone had actually managed at least to hurt one of them. It was too bad their only known weakness was heavily guarded by rows of razor-sharp teeth. Hopefully it wasn't the only weak spot they had.

"Everybody get down!" Leo shouted suddenly. Annabeth looked over to see him staring at something far above them, his expression somewhere between desperate and uncertain. She followed his gaze to the crystal and gold chandelier hanging from the ceiling—right above where the two wolf-rats were standing—and realized what he was going to do. She crawled quickly across the ground and ducked behind the sofa as Leo raised his hand and shot a thin stream of white-hot fire toward the chandelier. She didn't see it connect, but seconds later the air was filled with a deafening _crash_ as glass shattered and metal bent and broke.

Annabeth got to her feet to see the hotel lobby in shambles. Broken crystal and metal shards littered the ground everywhere. The frame of the chandelier itself was now a mangled mess in the center of the room, with one of the wolf-rats trapped in a space between the barred edges like a cage. It snarled and growled, clawing and biting at the metal, but for the time being it wasn't getting free.

Annabeth looked to her left to see Leo and Reyna emerging from behind another sofa. "Nice, Leo," she said appreciatively. "I've never known anyone who could make a bigger mess than you."

"What can I say?" Leo replied with a grin. "It's a gift."

Turning back to the center of the room, Annabeth saw that the second rat had managed to avoid the chandelier and was now edging around it toward where Hazel and Nico were climbing to their feet. Before she could call out a warning, the beast lunged for them. Hazel had dropped her sword after being thrown and had yet to make a grab for it, so without a weapon to block the monster she tackled Nico and dove out of the way. Unfortunately, she wasn't quite fast enough, and the monster's talon-like claws tore down her right arm.

"No!" Nico yelled as Hazel cried out in pain, rolling away from the creature as best she could. Annabeth vaulted over her couch and ran toward them, knife at the ready, as Nico used his sword to deflect a strike of the monster's claws. He still looked confused and frantic, like he had no idea what was going on, but somehow he was able to dodge and block attack after attack—probably some sort of muscle memory. Annabeth slid to her knees beside Hazel and examined the cuts on her arm, cringing when she saw how bad they looked.

"We should get out of here!" Nico said through gritted teeth as he ducked low, allowing the wolf-rat to leap over him and slide across the floor. He turned to look at Annabeth and Hazel, and Annabeth shot a glance over her shoulder toward where the second creature was still trying to free itself. "Find a place to regroup and figure out what to—" Nico's voice suddenly broke into a mangled scream and Annabeth whipped her head around to see that the first monster had closed its teeth around his leg and was dragging him away from the rest of the group.

"Nico!" Hazel yelled, her voice frantic. Nico managed to roll himself onto his back and was kicking at the rat with his free leg. Finally the heel of his shoe dug into the monster's eye and it shrieked in pain, releasing its hold on Nico and scrambling back away from him.

An uncomfortable lump had formed in Annabeth's throat, making it difficult for her to breathe. She glanced at Hazel, who muttered, "Go," and Annabeth sprang to her feet, dashing toward Nico as he pulled the upper half of his body up on his hands and dragged himself away from where the monster was writhing in the corner, nursing its wounded eye.

If Hazel's injury looked bad, Nico's looked far worse. The creature's dagger-like fangs had dug into his left calf, leaving a half-circle of wide, inch-deep stab wounds. Pale green ooze was mixing with the blood seeping down his leg, and Annabeth hoped desperately that she'd been wrong earlier in assuming that it was poison. Breathing fast and gritting his teeth, Nico leaned up and stared at the wound. His face paled and his eyes grew wide at the sight of it.

Suddenly Grover appeared by Annabeth's side. "They need ambrosia," he said quickly. "Nectar—_something._"

Annabeth nodded numbly and withdrew her backpack, tearing it open and reaching inside. She dug around for the bag of ambrosia she always kept, but quickly realized that it wasn't there. "What…?" she demanded, frustrated, as she pulled the pack open wider and searched through her things. But she hadn't been mistaken—what she was looking for wasn't inside.

"What's wrong?" Grover asked.

"My bag of ambrosia," Annabeth replied. "It's not here." She stood up and turned to face the other side of the lobby, where she'd been before. She ran to the sitting area, thinking maybe the bag had fallen out earlier, but she couldn't find it anywhere. Desperately, she started back toward Grover, noticing that Leo, Reyna, and Percy had moved to check on Hazel. "Don't you know some kind of healing song or something?" she asked the satyr.

"Yeah, but I can't find my pipes," Grover replied miserably. "I thought I might've lost them when the monster hit me earlier, but…" He scratched his head, glancing at the pile of luggage he'd been rooting through before.

Annabeth bit her lip, her heart racing. Hazel and Nico were hurt. She didn't have any ambrosia or nectar. Grover was missing his reed pipes. They had one monster trapped, but it was probably only a matter of time until it got free, and the other would recover soon enough as well. Things pretty much couldn't get worse.

As soon as Annabeth had that thought, she immediately wished she hadn't. Things could _always_ be worse, as the universe constantly went out of its way to show her. And this time was no exception.

"Annabeth, behind you!" Grover yelled.

Annabeth spun around and barely registered the sight of the first wolf-rat (which must have escaped its chandelier prison) mid-leap only a foot away from her before something slammed into her from the side, knocking her to the ground and out of the monster's path. She landed on her back just in time to see the creature tackle Percy and drag him to the floor, sending both of them rolling over each other across the carpet.

"_Percy!_" Annabeth screamed, dread washing over her as he landed on his stomach, pushing himself up on his arms with his face screwed up in pain. The monster rolled another few feet and landed on its side by the elevators, a little to the right of where Grover was trying to pull Nico to his feet. The creature had a long, bloody slice across its underbelly, and Annabeth noticed that Riptide's blade was stained black.

Without waiting to see if the monster would rise and attack again, Annabeth jumped to her feet and raced to her boyfriend's side. He pushed on the floor and tried to lift himself up, but cried out through clenched teeth and gave up, hunching toward the ground—but not before Annabeth noticed the blood staining the carpet beneath him.

She put a hand on his shoulder. "What?" she asked sharply. "Let me see."

Without looking at her, Percy rolled onto one arm, twisting to the side, and Annabeth felt her insides turn to ice. His shoulders and chest were covered in sticky, red blood, and more was oozing from the deep slash marks that the monster had dug down the length of his torso. Its claws must have miraculously missed any vital organs, or he would probably already be dead. He opened his mouth to say something, but it turned into a strangled, raspy cough and he gritted his teeth, blood dripping from his mouth.

"No…" Annabeth muttered weakly, feeling like she'd just been stabbed through the heart. Struggling to breathe, she raised her head to look around at her friends. Nico had been right—they needed to get out of there. Too many of them were hurt, and somehow they had no way of healing them. She looked at the front door, but her heart sank as she realized that the two wolf-rats were now blocking their path out of the hotel.

Annabeth took a deep, steadying breath. Times like this required a clear head and rational thought. Though it was understandably difficult to think anywhere close to rationally with the boy she loved dying before her eyes. But somehow, they would make it out of this. They had to.

"Come on," she said firmly, grabbing Percy's arm and wrapping it around her shoulders. He grunted in pain but followed her lead and forced himself to stand, though he had to lean heavily on Annabeth for support. "We have to find a place to hide," Annabeth said, raising her voice and addressing her friends. Her eyes scanned the room and landed on a set of double doors beside the reception desk with a sign that read _EMPLOYEES ONLY_. "Follow me," she called to the others, "and hurry."

Annabeth half-led, half-dragged Percy toward the doors, hearing a series of scuffling and snarling behind her. As she reached them, she glanced over her shoulder to see that the two monsters had apparently regained their bearings and were eyeing up their prey—which meant that they didn't have much time. The doors in front of Annabeth swung both ways on double hinges, so she pushed through them, the others on her heels. Behind the doors was a long, wide hallway. To one side was a row of service elevators. To the other, a line of doors that Annabeth supposed led to supply closets and the like. At the end of the hall was a second set of double doors, though these appeared to have locks on both the handles and the base where the doors met.

"There!" Annabeth shouted, pointing toward the doors.

"You want us to lock ourselves up with those things out here?" Grover asked uncertainly. He glanced uneasily to his left toward Nico, who had an arm hanging around the satyr's shoulders and was balancing on his left leg, blood and poison wolf-rat saliva dripping from his right leg.

"We just need time to come up with a plan!" Annabeth replied desperately. "We can't get out at the moment, so all we can do is get safe!"

"Works for me," Leo said. Hazel, who was leaning on Leo and looking tired and pained, nodded in agreement.

The monsters finally seemed to figure out that their chew-toys were escaping and snarled at them angrily. One leaned back on its haunches while the other bounded forward.

"Alright, alright, let's go!" Grover yelped, and all together they hurried down the hall as the wolf-rats chased after them. Annabeth broke through the doors at the end of the hall and the others filed in after her. Grover and Nico were last, and together they slammed the doors shut and fastened the locks. One (or both) of the monsters rammed the doors from the other side and the wood groaned from the force. Frantically, Grover pressed both hands against one door and held it in place while Nico leaned his back against the other.

Breathing fast, Annabeth lowered Percy to the ground and looked around her. The room they'd just locked themselves into turned out to be the hotel kitchen. The left wall displayed a line of sinks, while the right had one long countertop running its entire length. There was a long island in the center of the room with griddles and stovetops, and five of the biggest ovens Annabeth had ever seen sat against the back wall. There was a metal door which probably led into a walk-in freezer, and a wooden door which probably housed a pantry. Cupboards beneath the stoves on the island and the counter against the right wall must have been filled with various cooking utensils.

"Okay, anybody got a plan?" Leo asked as he knelt beside Hazel, a hand on her shoulder.

"Maybe we can call someone for help?" Grover suggested as once again the wolf-rats rammed the kitchen doors.

"I don't know if there's time for that," Reyna said apprehensively, eyes fixed on Percy, who was still breathing but looked worse after their quick escape. Annabeth swallowed hard and looked around the room, trying to come up with a plan. Unfortunately, after all that had happened, she was at a total loss. Their situation really didn't look good.

Grover groaned in frustration. "This is a nightmare," he muttered as the monsters pushed against him and Nico again.

Suddenly something flared in Annabeth's memory. A story—a legend that she'd read somewhere long ago. "A nightmare…" she repeated thoughtfully, eyes staring distantly ahead as her mind began to race. "That's it!" she exclaimed. "This is a nightmare—a dream. It isn't real!"

Everyone stared at her blankly. "Say what now?" Leo said with a look that clearly said he feared for her sanity.

"No—listen," Annabeth explained, her mind almost moving too fast for her mouth to keep up. "In ancient times, the cave where Hypnos slept was guarded by his three sons, Morpheus, Phobetor, and Phantasos—the three gods of dreaming. If any mortals were to come snooping in the cave, the Dream Brothers would put them to sleep and force them into a dream world to distract them while they decided what to do with them. That _has_ to be what happened here—to us. Hera warned us about the Dream Brothers, remember? They must have sensed that we were looking for Hypnos and put us into this dream!" Annabeth was practically speed-talking now, her heart pounding. It explained so much—the unfortunately-timed disappearance of her stock of ambrosia and Grover's reed pipes, the lack of hotel employees in the kitchen and other staff areas, the near-perfect defenses of their monster opponents—everything that just seemed too perfectly-timed to be real. If this were true, if none of this was really happening…

"It… makes sense," Reyna admitted uncertainly.

"If this is a dream," Nico said, his breathing heavy and ragged from his injury and the effort of holding the door, "then… how do we wake up?"

"Well," Annabeth answered somewhat reluctantly, "the only way to force yourself awake from inside a dream is… to die."

The tension in the room intensified as everyone exchanged uncomfortable glances. Annabeth knew that what she was suggesting wasn't exactly easy to take in, but she met everyone's eyes and silently willed them to trust her. This _had_ to be a dream. If it wasn't, and it was real, then… No, there was no way. She had to be right.

"Okay," Nico said slowly, looking almost sick. "So… should we, you know… release the hounds?" The monsters outside banged against the door and snarled, and Nico grimaced in an obvious combination of pain and fear.

Grover paled even further. "If we have to die, I'd prefer something a little less slow and painful," he said weakly, and Annabeth couldn't help but agree.

Heart racing, she looked around the room, mind hard at work. She couldn't believe she was actually sitting there while three of her friends were probably bleeding to death, trying to come up with a plan to kill the rest of them quickly and easily. It was overwhelming and downright insane, but she told herself firmly that it had to be done. They had to get out of this nightmare.

Suddenly her eyes landed on the stovetops on the center island, and she got an idea.

"An explosion," Annabeth said firmly, turning to her friends and trying to keep her voice level. "We should have everything we need to make a basic Molotov cocktail here in the kitchen. Release some gas from one of the stoves, and it should be enough to… to blow up the whole room." She'd been about to say _'to kill us all'_, but somehow that just didn't seem like something any sane person should say aloud.

Everyone looked uncertain, like they were too afraid to speak. Everyone, that is, except for Leo, who stood up and said, "That's a great idea and all, but it won't work for me. Immune to fire, remember?" His eyes darted between Annabeth and the doors, behind which the pair of rat creatures were snarling and scratching at the wood. "And I don't exactly fancy playing 'impromptu autopsy' with Pinky and the Brain out there," Leo added with a failed attempt at a humored tone.

"Oh…" Annabeth muttered, that fact having completely slipped her mind in her frantic search for a plan. She didn't want to leave Leo to the mercy of the monsters, but the explosion was the only plan she had. Panic began to well up inside her, which was _not_ something she was accustomed to. "I… I don't…"

"Annabeth," Reyna said firmly, getting the blonde's attention. The praetor's intense, serious eyes shot toward Leo, who was watching the door with a nervous expression. When her gaze flitted back onto Annabeth, the look on her face was slightly frantic. "Are you sure this isn't real?" she asked, her eyes boring into Annabeth's. "I mean are you _absolutely_ certain? If we die here… we wake up, right?"

All eyes turned to Annabeth as her friends waited for her answer. Momentarily at a loss, Annabeth glanced around at them—at Hazel, whose face was pale and clammy, a hand clamped tightly over her bleeding arm—at Nico, who had beads of sweat on his face and was shaking, leaning on the door not only to keep the rat creatures out, but also to keep himself upright as the monster's poison spread from the vicious bite marks on his leg—and finally at Percy, whose breathing was growing shallower and more ragged as the seconds ticked by. Feeling sick, Annabeth forced herself to look at the gaping slash marks across her boyfriend's chest and arms, focusing on what she was seeing and allowing it to sink in. She was terrified, but one thing was certain: this was _wrong_. Everything about it just didn't feel right. She _knew_ this wasn't supposed to be happening.

"Yes," she finally breathed. "I'm sure. This is a dream. It has to be." She was surprised by how steady her voice sounded, but also glad. It made her sound like she believed what she was saying without a doubt.

"Okay, then," Reyna said, nodding shortly and breathing fast, like she was trying to make a difficult decision. Her grip on her dagger tightened as she finished, "I trust you." Annabeth looked up and locked eyes with Reyna, feeling a sudden surge of emotion. Despite the situation, she felt a small, grateful smile tug at her lips.

But her smile vanished when Reyna turned and drove the point of her dagger into Leo's chest.

"_Reyna!_" Hazel shrieked, and Annabeth threw her hands over her mouth to keep from screaming. She understood Reyna's intentions – they both knew the explosion was the only plan they had to end this dream and wake themselves up, but unfortunately for Leo, fire couldn't kill him. So something else had to do it instead, and Reyna had taken it upon herself. She did it to save him.

Still, that didn't make seeing the pain on his face any easier.

Leo stared at Reyna with wide, unfocused eyes. His eyebrows creased in confusion and his mouth opened and closed without sound, his fingers twitching as his body seized up in shock. Reyna avoided his eyes and pressed her lips together into a thin line before yanking her arm backward, pulling her dagger free. Leo let out a strangled cry of pain and staggered forward, hands grabbing weakly at Reyna's cloak as blood began to soak down the front of his shirt.

"Not… cool…" he forced out, his voice sounding hoarse and choked and making Annabeth's breath catch in her throat. She felt tears sting at her eyes as he dropped forward onto the ground beside Hazel, who reached over and grabbed his shoulder. She pulled him onto his back just as his eyes slid closed.

"H-He's…" Hazel stuttered, eyes wide and watery as she pressed her hand to Leo's neck, "he's dead." She looked up at Reyna in disbelief and repeated, "He's _dead_. How could you—?"

"Hazel, it's okay!" Annabeth interrupted, swallowing a sob and trying to appear calm—which was very difficult to do when you've just watched one of your best friends die, real or not. She glanced around briefly to see stunned looks on the others' faces as well. "This is a dream, remember? Leo isn't dead—he'll be fine."

"What if you're wrong?" Hazel shot back desperately. "What if this is real? What if—?"

"It isn't," Annabeth argued firmly. "Hazel, please. Trust me." She looked into Hazel's eyes, pleading with her. Hazel remained silent and took a deep breath. When finally she nodded, Annabeth found herself praying she wasn't misleading her friends. If she was… No, she was done thinking that way. She had made her decision, and there was no going back.

"Let's get moving," Reyna said urgently, a slight look of vague uncertainty on her face, like she couldn't believe what she'd just done. "What do you need?"

Annabeth got to her feet, forcing herself not to look at anyone but Reyna. "A bottle," she said shakily, "some flammable liquid, a rag, and a match. And turn on one of those stoves, but don't let the flame light. We just want it to release the gas."

As Reyna turned toward the center island, Annabeth started quickly rooting through the cabinets beneath the countertop. She found one full of rags and towels and grabbed one, knocking over two neat stacks in the process. In the pantry, she found a second door leading to a walk-in cooler. She took a bottle of lemon juice and dumped the contents out on the floor—she didn't think the dream hotel employees would mind—and rushed back out to the kitchen to rinse the bottle in a sink. Reyna had collected a container of lighter fluid and a box of matches from the cupboards beneath the center counter and turned on a stove, and already a weak smell of propane was permeating the air. Simply lighting a fire wouldn't cause it to explode, but with a little help…

"I can't believe I'm friends with you crazy people," Nico said with a pained look as Annabeth and Reyna gathered their materials. He coughed violently and hunched his shoulders, clutching a hand to his abdomen and looking like his stomach was about to leap through his mouth. Annabeth could tell by looking that he wouldn't be able to hold the door behind him for much longer.

Grover glanced at Nico with concern, his eyes wild. "Let's just hope we all make it out of this so you remember us crazy people," he said, his voice weak and strained. Hazel grimaced and murmured something that was lost under a choked sob, her shaking hands forming fists in the blood-stained shirt over Leo's unmoving chest.

Annabeth picked up her pace. After filling the empty lemon juice bottle with lighter fluid, she soaked the rag in the same liquid and stuffed the end inside the bottle, fastening the cap as best she could to keep the rag in place. She picked up the matches and knelt beside Percy, watching him with frantic eyes. She could feel her heart pounding and her breath racing. Percy looked up at her and gave her a weak smile, but even as she watched, the smile vanished again and his breathing slowed to a stop, his eyes glazing over blankly. Annabeth's eyes stung and her breath caught painfully in her throat—it was now or never.

Her hands were shaking so badly it took her three tries to successfully light a match, and when she did she almost dropped it. Once the rag was lit, Annabeth gripped the bottle tightly in her right hand and took a deep, steadying breath. She was right. She knew she was. She had to be. Her friends believed in her, and she was _not_ about to kill them. She was about to save them.

Before she could break down and cry, Annabeth flung the bottle as hard as she could toward the stove. As the glass shattered, all she could feel was the burning heat, and she threw herself over the lifeless body of her best friend and screamed.

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**THE END! Okay, I'm kidding. Real talk, that might be the worst ending to anything ever, haha.**

**Sorry that was so intense. I did warn you, hehe. Thing is, they needed to believe that it was a dream. Demigod lives already kind of suck, so the dream would either have to be really great or really, really, _really_ bad in order for them to buy the whole 'this isn't real' idea. And I figured it'd be more fun to throw in some action and angst and go for the 'really, really, _really_ bad' approach. I'm a terrible person, I know.**

**So if you're still breathing, drop me a review! See you guys in a few days!**

**-oMM**


	27. XXVII Annabeth

**'Lo there. Sorry for the emotional rollercoaster last chapter. I won't lie, I had fun writing that one. But only because I knew I got to make everything right moving forward. And now we've reached that stage!**

**Thanks everybody for your continued love :) Ready to meet the Dream Brothers? Enjoy!**

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**XXVII  
ANNABETH**

As a demigod, Annabeth had had her fair share of nightmares. But never before in her life had she been so happy to wake up from one.

She couldn't remember dying in the dream. All she remembered was the heat and the fear and the desperate hope that she had made the right decision, and just when everything had gone red, she suddenly found herself lying on the floor in the lobby of the Cloud Nine Hotel.

Annabeth sat up so fast she nearly fell over again. It took her a few seconds to regain her bearings, but when she did she felt like shouting for joy. She'd been right after all—the entire ordeal had been nothing but a horrible, vivid nightmare, and the drastic measures she'd taken had set her and her friends free.

Annabeth glanced to her left and was overcome with relief when she saw Percy sitting beside her. He was looking down and touching both hands to the front of his shirt, as though making sure his body was still there—which it was, and lethal-wound-free to boot. He looked over at Annabeth and cracked a grin.

"You did it," he said, sounding impressed.

Annabeth tried for maybe a second to think of an appropriate sarcastic remark, but her heart just wasn't in it. Instead, she breathed a giddy laugh and threw herself at Percy. She locked her arms around him and pulled him as tightly against her as she could, reveling in the warmth and life in his body—the warmth and life that she'd watched leave him just minutes before. He laughed and returned the embrace just as eagerly.

When finally she forced herself to let go, Annabeth took the opportunity to check out her surroundings. The seven of them were gathered on the floor of the hotel lobby, just in and to the right of the revolving door. There were more people in the lobby than there'd been in the dream, but all of them were simply walking around the seven teenagers on the floor like they were spots on the carpet, not paying them any attention. There were no signs of the dream battle that had just taken place—even the chandelier was still hanging magnificently from its place on the high ceiling. With a jolt, she noticed that the sky outside the lobby windows had darkened to a deep, dark blue—almost black. How long exactly had they been asleep?

Annabeth looked around at her friends. Hazel and Nico were checking to ensure that all their limbs were intact. Grover was kissing the carpet reverently in happiness. Leo was also alive and well again, to which Annabeth felt like another weight had been swept from her shoulders, and had turned to stare at Reyna, a blank look of disbelief on his face.

"You killed me," he said, sounding stunned.

Reyna met his gaze and let out a short sigh of relief, but quickly replaced it with a scowl. "I've been threatening to since San Francisco, haven't I?" she answered dryly. Annabeth couldn't tell if she was serious or joking, but Leo shook his head and laughed lightly in response.

"And Romans always keep their word, right?" he joked. The lighthearted smile stayed on his face, but his eyes turned serious as he added, "Thanks."

Reyna looked down, avoiding his eyes. "Don't mention it," she answered shortly.

"Well, well," a voice interrupted. "You escaped the dream. I'm impressed."

Annabeth twisted around to find the speaker and her eyes landed on a tall man with long, sleek black hair tied into a neat ponytail down his back. He was dressed in a fine dark blue suit with a tie the same gold as his eyes. A gold-plated tag pinned to his suit jacket read _Manager_ in scripted writing.

"You're one of the Dream Brothers," Annabeth guessed as they all climbed to their feet.

"Indeed," he replied, golden eyes sparkling. "I am Morpheus, master of dreams and manager of this hotel."

"Morpheus," Grover said, narrowing his eyes in thought. "You're the one who put all of Manhattan to sleep two years ago, during the Titan War."

The corners of Morpheus's mouth twitched in a small smirk. "An act I can't say I regret. My father and brothers and I have always been underappreciated—after all, sleep and dreaming are natural parts of everyday life. If my father wanted to, he could put the gods themselves to slumber. Though, after the war things have been much more favorable—I suppose thanks in part to you, Percy Jackson."

Percy shrugged uncertainly. "Uh… You're welcome," he said.

"Anyway, that's all in the past," the god continued, raising his chin a fraction of an inch as he spoke. "My brothers tell me you're here looking for our father. If you were able to escape our dream, you just might be worth his time."

"Your brothers?" Hazel asked with a frown. Morpheus snapped his fingers, his expression unchanging, and there was a flash of light as suddenly two men materialized on either side of him. The mortals around them continued to take no notice.

"You know, the finger snap thing is really unnecessary," the one on the left said irritably, quirking a dark eyebrow. "I was standing right over there. A simple yell would've sufficed." With a slight shock, Annabeth recognized him as the concierge they'd met earlier (though whether or not that had been part of the dream, she still wasn't sure). Looking to the right, she realized that she recognized the third and youngest brother, too—the valet who'd nodded to them outside the hotel. She hadn't noticed before, but they all had the same black hair and golden eyes.

"Meet my brothers, Phobetor and Phantasos," Morpheus introduced them, holding a hand toward each in turn. Phantasos—the valet—inclined his head and Phobetor—the concierge—looked them over with interest.

"That was a pretty good show you kids pulled there," Phobetor said appreciatively, scratching his short, spiky hair. "Those beasties were some of my best, and you put up an impressive fight."

_Of course,_ Annabeth thought. _Phobetor is the god of nightmares. No wonder I've never seen those monsters—they must be his own creation._

"Glad you were entertained," Reyna said, rolling her eyes. "Now will you let us see Hypnos or not?"

"Tell us what you need from him," Phantasos replied, studying Reyna passively, "and we'll decide."

They took it in turns explaining in full why they'd come to the hotel. As with Hera, the Dream Brothers were aware of Rachel's prophecy, though Nico's secret mission and subsequent disappearance had been news to them. They could tell, however, that he was who they said he was, and could also sense that his memory had been wiped away by the River Lethe.

"It won't be easy," Phantasos said with a frown. "To be placed into a sleep deep enough to recall his memories from the Underworld… It will undoubtedly be dangerous. But if anyone can accomplish it, our father can."

"So you'll let us see him?" Percy asked hopefully.

The three gods exchanged glances, and Morpheus nodded at Phobetor, who walked across the lobby to his small, podium-like desk. He rummaged in one of the compartments beneath the surface and produced a small, gold rectangle. As he came back toward them, Annabeth realized that it was a keycard, though there was no writing or numbering on it, or even a magnetic strip.

"Our father lives in the penthouse suite of the hotel," Phobetor told them as he handed Percy the keycard. "Insert this card into the slot in the elevator—it'll allow you to reach the fiftieth floor. Ring the buzzer beside the door and tell him my brothers and I have cleared you for visitation."

"Thank you," Annabeth said gratefully, still more than a little miffed at the brothers' dream trial but relieved that they were finally getting what they'd come for.

"Good luck, demigods," Morpheus said, before all three gods vanished in a second flash of light.

Without a word, all seven of them made immediately for the nearest elevator. Once inside, Percy slid the golden keycard into the slot and pressed the button for the fiftieth floor, and the elevator doors slid closed.

"So those were gods," Nico said, sounding a little uncertain.

"Yup," Leo replied with a dull nod.

"And right now we're headed up to the penthouse suite of a Los Angeles hotel to meet another god," Nico went on.

"Yup," Leo said again.

"And this god is gonna put me in some death-like sleep that _might_ be able to give me my memory back."

"Yup."

Nico nodded numbly, eyes downcast. "Okay. Just wanted to clear all that up."

"Don't worry," Hazel said. "I'm sure it'll work." She must have tried to sound encouraging, but her own doubt seemed to get in the way, and judging by the look on Nico's face, it only made things worse.

The elevator bell sounded, notifying them that they'd reached the top floor of the hotel. Annabeth led the way out into the hall, only to realize that there wasn't much of a hall at all. Outside the line of elevators was a large entrance room walled and carpeted to match the lobby. A row of high windows lined the far left wall, and the wall directly ahead of them bore only a single set of double oak doors with fancy lettering that read _Penthouse_.

Annabeth swallowed her nervousness and strode up to the call box beside the doors. She pressed the buzzer and said aloud, "We're here to see Hypnos. The Dream Brothers cleared us for visitation."

Silence greeted her as everyone seemed to hold their breath in anticipation. For a long few minutes, nothing happened. Annabeth was just starting to think that maybe she'd said something wrong when suddenly one of the doorknobs turned and the left door pulled open to reveal a tall, dark-haired man in golden silk pajamas regarding them with twinkling eyes of the same rich color.

"So you've met my sons," he said to them, his voice deep and dreamy. "In that case, welcome. I am Hypnos, god of sleep."

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**Whee! Gods and more gods.**

**Some news for you all - I just finished writing the last chapter of this story this morning, meaning it's all done and I'll be able to keep posting every few days on schedule while I work on other stories. The whole thing clocked in at 43 chapters, so we still have a long way to go. It's funny, actually, coming back and re-reading chapters like this immediately after writing the ending. It kind of messes with my brain, haha.**

**Anyway, drop me a review, and we'll be back with Jason before you know it! (Though probably not too soon, seeing as I'm notoriously bad at putting updates up on the weekends, heh heh)**

**Later days!**

**-oMM**


	28. XXVIII Jason

**Hi everybody! I wasn't gonna post a chapter today, but this one's really short, so what the heck. Happy Friday!**

**Thanks as always, lovelies :) Enjoy!**

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**XXVIII  
JASON**

Jason didn't want to sleep. With everything else on his plate, he didn't think he could handle an extra side helping of distressing dreams thrown into the mix. But seeing as he'd been up all night trying to come up with a plan of action, his tired mind and body had other ideas. And so did his slightly frightening and extremely convincing girlfriend. So thanks to Piper's charmspeak and Jason's own exhaustion, he was eventually forced into an empty bed sometime around mid-morning and ordered not to leave for at least six hours.

He dreamed he was in some sort of kennel—at least, that's what he assumed, judging by the long row of huge, empty cages along the wall. He had no idea what kind of creatures had been trapped inside them, but looking at them gave him an odd, fight-or-flight sort of urge, like whoever owned the place wanted him thrown behind those bars. Jason shivered, glad this was only a dream—until he remembered that in reality, he was basically stuck in a cage anyway, iron bars or no iron bars.

The rest of the room, he quickly realized, looked less like a kennel and more like an oversized den or living room. There was a fireplace against the left wall that was taller than Jason was, and a number of armchairs that he and two friends could sit in comfortably. The ceiling was at least eighteen feet above the floor, and there were no windows. There were a few lamps providing dim lighting, allowing Jason to see the abnormal number of hunting prizes adorning the wood-paneled walls. Furs, pelts, skins, heads, and various other animal pieces that he didn't even want to try to identify covered almost every inch of the place. He grimaced and tried not to gag as he took in the sight.

"I told you we should not have relied on that idiot hunter," a raspy, female voice growled from somewhere behind Jason, making him jump in surprise. He spun around as two dark figures crept through the wide, open doorway that was flanked by gigantic doors made of bound tree trunks. With the outside sunlight framing their forms and casting them in shadow, he couldn't get a good look at their faces—but the huge, leathery bat wings and talon-like claws were familiar enough. They were the same creatures he'd seen circling his camp's entrapment back in the desert, watching them like vultures awaiting a slaughter.

"The hunter has done his job," the figure on the left answered the other. "He has detained the boy for long enough. Besides, the Lethe's waters are inerasable. He does not remember what is coming."

"But if he joins with the others, there are ways of reversing the effect," the first creature argued. "And if he tells them—"

"Impossible," the second cut off her partner. "Even then, they could never reach the Queen in time. We needn't trouble her with this news."

The creature on the right grumbled something under her breath as the two of them finally stepped close enough for Jason to make out the rest of their appearance. Both had brown, leathery skin that was wrinkled and cracked, almost like a corpse. The claws on their hands appeared to be made of rusted metal, like brass. The one on the right had stringy, black hair that fell to her shoulders, and the one on the left had matted gray hair tied back in a messy bun. Their eyes were a piercing red and glowed like laser pointers, and Jason had to do a double take when he saw their clothes. Oddly, they were dressed in rumpled, floral-printed dresses that just barely covered their knobbed, bony knees. Their attire might have been funny if it weren't for the flaming whips in their hands.

A lump formed in Jason's throat. He'd never seen these creatures before, but he'd heard a lot about them from his friends, so he had no trouble identifying them. They were Furies.

"And if he tells the master?" the black-haired Fury spoke up.

The gray-haired Fury's eyes flashed dangerously. "Mind your tongue, Tisiphone," she snapped. "Lord Hades is no longer our master. Do not let the Queen hear you speaking as such." She hesitated, looking momentarily uncertain. "Do not worry," she said after a beat, though the tone of her voice betrayed her own tiny streak of nervousness. "The arrogance of the gods blinds them. They will not rise to oppose the Queen until it is too late."

"Still, the Queen must be told of the boy's escape," the black-haired Fury, Tisiphone, insisted. "It's true nothing may come of it, but still we must be prepared. You know the extent of his power just as well as I, Alecto. If he were to come for us before the Endless Night—"

"It _will not happen_," Alecto hissed, baring her sharp, silvery fangs. "The Endless Night _will_ fall. Nothing can stop it." Then she turned her head sharply and added, "But I suppose you're right. The Queen must be told."

"Perhaps the defenses around the altar should be strengthened as well," Tisiphone suggested, running her clawed, gnarled hands along the handle of her whip.

Alecto shook her head. "So long as the sentinels do not engage the sacrifices, the barrier will hold. We needn't draw any more unneeded attention to the valley."

Tisiphone nodded in agreement. "As you say," she said. "We should be off. The mortals who freed the hunter's captives will be returning soon, and the Queen does not like to be kept waiting." Without another word, they spread their wings and leapt into the air, gliding out of the hunting lodge and out of sight.

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**Oh, dear. Whatever could this mean? Guess we'll find out soon. This is actually a pretty eventful series of Jason chapters, right here. Especially chapter 30. I'm kind of excited, haha.**

**Drop me a review on your way out. Have a good weekend, gang! (Three-day weekend for me. Perks of working at a bank: bank holidays are just as exciting as real holidays.)**

**Later days!**

**-oMM**


	29. XXIX Jason

**Yo. Hope everybody had a good long weekend. I definitely did :) Though the snow on my car this morning kind of dampened my mood...**

**Thanks everybody as usual. Love you all! Enjoy!**

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**XXIX  
JASON**

Jason woke with the glowing crimson of the Furies' eyes still burned into his vision and their raspy voices ringing in his aching head. From what he knew, the three Furies had been loyal to Hades for eons, ever since the Lord of the Dead had first been given his throne. Who could possibly draw their support from him, Jason had no idea. Whoever this 'queen' was, she must have been dangerous.

Most of the Furies' conversation had been way over Jason's head. The 'hunter' they mentioned must have owned that lodge, but what had happened to him was a mystery. They'd trusted him to do something—to keep someone trapped? Someone who had lost their memory—one of them had mentioned the River Lethe, which he knew had the power to wipe a person's memory clean. But that person had escaped, which posed a problem for the creatures and their mysterious leader. Jason couldn't explain it, but he had a strong feeling that they'd been talking about Nico di Angelo, who had gone missing about a week ago. He hoped Reyna and the others had managed to find him.

And then there'd been that word—_sacrifices_. Somehow, he knew they'd meant him and his camp. But just what they were supposed to be sacrificed _for_, he couldn't even begin to guess. All in all, it was insanely frustrating. Jason _hated_ not knowing what to do when the people he cared about and was responsible for were in danger.

Eventually he decided that the best way to get answers would be to get out there and look for them. He climbed out of bed and quickly changed clothes, eyeing the clock on the wall that read just after four-thirty in the afternoon. About six hours since Piper had locked him up and told him to get some rest. Hopefully she'd be satisfied, because there was no way he was staying cooped up inside any longer.

Apparently, the day following the fight at the Senate House had been relatively uneventful, which Jason took as a good sign. Hopefully many of the legionnaires had been able to get their frustration out in that one incident. Either that, or Piper's charmspeak had worked better than expected. Whatever the reason, Jason was glad for the respite. It left him with plenty of time to investigate and try to come up with an escape plan, seeing as he wouldn't be needed to stop any brawls or separate anybody.

As far as he could tell, the barrier surrounding New Rome was impenetrable. He tried attacking it in all manner of ways and couldn't make the slightest difference. He even tried digging into the sand to get beneath it, but that didn't work either. It was intensely irritating—mostly because Jason couldn't shake the feeling of inadequacy, like his entire camp was counting on him and all he kept doing was failing them.

"Having any luck?"

Jason flinched in surprise at the voice interrupting his thoughts. He turned away from where he'd been staring blankly at the barrier near the southern edge of the city to see that Frank had approached him while he'd been spacing out. Jason hadn't seen the son of Mars since the fight when he'd sent him to the hospital, and he looked much better now than he had then.

"Not really," Jason admitted with a sigh. "Whoever brought us here was annoyingly thorough. I can't even get an Iris-message through this barrier. It's like we're totally shut off from the rest of the world." He shook his head in a tired manner and decided to try for a change of subject. "How's your nose?"

Frank gave a half-shrug, scratching at the bandage across the bridge of his nose. "Better," he answered. "Medics gave me some nectar yesterday—said it should heal up in a couple days."

"What about Dakota?" Jason asked, a guilty lump rising in his throat.

"Not great, but he'll live. Gwen showed up at the hospital last night and hasn't left his side since," Frank replied. Jason felt a wash of relief, though it didn't completely clear away the guilt. Frank walked up to the barrier and placed a hand against it, staring out at the wall of their valley. "Hey, I've been meaning to ask you," he said suddenly, sounding uncertain. "…What do you think happened to Hazel and Reyna? And Percy and the others?"

Jason followed Frank's gaze, considering his question. "I don't know," he answered truthfully. "The last time I saw them was during the battle the other night, before we got pulled here. They must have been outside the city when that earthquake happened, so I guess that means they're safe. They're probably looking for us, actually." He glanced at Frank and saw an intense frown on his face, his eyes focused on something far in the distance that Jason couldn't see. "You're worried," he pointed out.

Frank finally turned and met Jason's eyes. "Of course I'm worried," he said with a beleaguered sigh. "Aren't you?"

Jason looked down at the sand. Something inside him knew his friends were alright and all together, and he had a distinct feeling that they were out there trying to figure out just what was happening around them. He couldn't explain how, but he knew that what had happened to New Rome was related to the prophecy Piper had told them of—about the shadows and the darkness. His dream had proved that whatever was going on ran deeper than he'd originally thought. And he knew that his friends who weren't trapped with him would stop at nothing to get to the bottom of it. That was just the way they were—himself included. After everything they'd been through in their short lives, they couldn't give up on anything without a fight.

"I trust them," Jason finally answered. "I don't know how, but I know they're out there trying just as hard as we are to figure this out. To be honest, I think I'm more worried about us than I am about them." He gave a wry smile and was glad when Frank returned it.

"I guess you're right," Frank admitted. "We're kind of in a pretty major pickle right now. And I hate pickles."

Jason chuckled. "I think step one is to figure out how to get around this barrier."

Frank looked out through the invisible wall and frowned. "There's got to be a way," he said. "I mean, they wouldn't bother placing guards if we couldn't get out, right?"

"That's a really good point," Jason said, interested. Frank was right—if the barrier was perfect, then why add a guard around it? Unless they were there for different reason… But what could it be? Jason glanced absently toward the sky and watched the progress of a mosquito flying in aimless circles just outside the barrier, his brain working hard at a possible solution. Suddenly, the mosquito glided in a wide arc toward them—directly through the invisible barrier. Jason's eyes widened in surprise as he watched the insect try to complete its pattern and instead collide with the unseen wall from their side. His gaze darted back toward the monster guards.

"You ever wonder why they always stand in the same spot?" he asked Frank sharply. "Why they're just out of reach of the city, and act like we're not even here? It's almost like… they're _supposed_ to ignore us." His mind flashed back to his dream, to the gray-haired Fury who had talked about the barrier. _'So long as the sentinels do not engage the sacrifices, the barrier will hold.'_

"You think they might be the key out of here," Frank guessed.

"Maybe," Jason answered, an idea rapidly forming in his mind. "I think I have a plan, but it's not gonna be easy."

"I'm with you," Frank said immediately. "Whatever it takes to get out of this place."

Jason grinned. "Good," he said. "Here's what we're gonna do."

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**Ooh, a plan! Next chapter's a good deal longer than this one, and more exciting. Should be up later this week.**

**Reviews are the butter to my bread :) Later days!**

**-oMM**


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